The Convention on Biological Diversity Year in Review 2010

Year in Review 2010 The Convention on Biological Diversity

Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity United Nations Environment Programme 413 St. Jacques Street West, Suite 800 Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9 Phone: +1 (514) 288 2220 Fax: +1 (514) 288 6588 E-mail: [email protected] Website: www.cbd.int

© 2011 by the Secretariat for the Convention on Biological Diversity All rights reserved. Published 2011 Printed in Canada

ISBN: 92-9225-320-4

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The views reported in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

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Local catalogue record: Year in Review 2010 / Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity. Summary: “This publication reviews the key activities undertaken by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity in the year 2010.”—Provided by publisher. ISBN: 92-9225-320-4 1. Biodiversity – International cooperation 2. Conservation of natural resources – International cooperation. 3. Conservation of natural resources – Citizen participation 4. Biodiversity conservation I. Convention on Biological Diversity (1992). Periodicals. II. United Nations. QH75.A1 C66

Photo credits: All photos courtesy of the CBD Secretariat unless stated otherwise: Cover: Hemera Technologies / AbleStock / Thinkstock Page 8: Photos left to right courtesy of Thomas Koehler / photothek.net, Joel Rocha /SMCS, China Environment News; Bottom left photo courtesy of The German Ministries for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) and for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)/GEO Page 9: Photo, left, courtesy of AMNH / R. Mickens Page 10: Stamps courtesy of Iraqi Telecommunications and Post Company, Trinidad and Tobago Postal Corporation, CTT, Swiss Post, India Post, Poste Maroc, Maltapost, São Tomé e Príncipe, South African Post Office, Syrian Post; Bermuda Aquarium photo courtesy of Alison Copeland Page 11: Top left photo courtesy of Montes del Plata–Bioparque M’Bopicuá; Top right photo courtesy of The Green Wave 2010 Page 12: Top left photo courtesy of the Swedish Ministry of the Environment Page 14: Photo courtesy of Facade Photos: Rolf Kuchling, EEA, Graphic: Johanna Rossbach Page 15: Photo courtesy of Airbus Page 16: Photo courtesy of www.president.go.kr Page 40: Top photo courtesy of Airbus

For further information please contact the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity Table of Contents

Introduction 2

Snapshots of collective action 6

Born at COP 10 – A global strategy for living in harmony with nature 20

The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety 46

All good things need to continue 53 T hinkstock / tockbyte S Introduction 2010: An historical year for the biodiversity family and the beginning of a new era for living in harmony with nature into the future

has been a truly histor- path. Global Biodiversity Outlook 3, based ic year. It started with on the best available scientific evidence, 2010 the launch of the In- and drawing upon 120 national reports of ternational Year of Biodiversity in Berlin and Parties to the Convention, acknowledged culminated with the High-Level Event of the that we had not met the 2010 targets and 65th session of the United Nations General warned of the consequences of further bio- Assembly held in New York on 22 September diversity loss. The continuing loss of species with the participation of heads of State and and habitats, predicted to accelerate under government. The year was closed in Kanaza- the growing impact of climate change, has wa City, Ishikawa prefecture in Japan, with placed so much pressure on the life-sup- Ahmed Djoghlaf the ceremony contributing to the launch of porting ecosystems of our world that many Executive Secretary of the the 2011 International Year of Forests. risk passing a “tipping point”. We were re- Convention on Biological Diversity In early May 2010, the world received a minded that the status of biodiversity for mil- wake-up call that warned of the consequenc- lions of years to come will be determined by es of continuing on our current development the actions that human society takes in the i S tockphoto / T hinkstock 2 year in review 2010

T hinkstock / C ardle c M v is a D

coming decades. This was a sobering mes- human well-being into sage to receive during the International Year the future. of Biodiversity. The Nagoya biodi- However, there was also a message of versity summit adopt- hope. Humans have the power and the tools ed the 2011-2020 Bio- needed to avoid this scenario. During the diversity Strategic Plan, the “Aichi Japan’s Minister of International Year of Biodiversity, the world Target”, which includes 20 headline targets, the Environment, Ryu stepped up and responded to this chal- organized under five strategic goals that ad- Matsumoto, and Ahmed lenge. Citizens around the world, through dress the underlying causes of biodiversity Djoghlaf, CBD Executive thousands of events and activities, discov- loss, reduce the pressures on biodiversity, Secretary, celebrate the successful conclusion of ered the importance of biodiversity, demon- safeguard biodiversity at all levels, enhance COP 10 in Nagoya, Japan strated the kinds of actions needed to save the benefits provided by biodiversity, and it, and called for the world to act. provide for capacity-building. Moreover, at the tenth meeting of the Con- Among the targets, Parties agreed to at ference of the Parties, held in Nagoya, Japan, least halve and where feasible bring close in October, some 18,000 participants repre- to zero the rate of loss of natural habitats senting the 193 Parties and their partners including forests; protect 17 per cent of ter- agreed on a package of measures that, if restrial and inland water areas and 10 per implemented, will ensure that the ecosys- cent of marine and coastal areas; restore tems of the planet will continue to sustain at least 15 percent of degraded areas; and

“The status of biodiversity for millions of years to come will be determined by the actions that human society takes in the coming decades. This was a sobering message to receive during the International Year of Biodiversity. However, there was also a message of hope. Humans have the power and the tools needed to avoid this scenario. In 2010 the world stepped up and responded to this challenge.”

year in review 2010 3 and multilateral donor agencies agreed to translate the plan into their respective de- velopment cooperation priorities. To sup- port developing countries in implementing the Nagoya compact, Japan established the Japan Biodiversity Fund. Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan committed USD 2 bil- lion for the three coming years to financing biodiversity projects. Additional financial resources were announced by France, the S

tockbyte European Union and Norway, with nearly USD 110 million being mobilized in support

/ T hinkstock of projects under the CBD LifeWeb Initiative, which aims at enhancing the protected-ar- ea agenda. Parties will define mechanisms in time for COP 11 in India in 2012 through which additional financial resources can be make special efforts to reduce the pressures identified and channeled. faced by coral reefs. And finally, a historic step was taken when The Aichi Target was endorsed by the 65th Parties adopted the Nagoya Protocol on Ac- session of the United Nations General As- cess to Genetic Resources and the Fair and sembly as the strategic plan of the whole Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from biodiversity family. This overarching biodi- Their Utilization. This significant agreement versity framework contains means of imple- creates a framework that balances access mentation and monitoring and evaluation to genetic resources on the basis of prior in- mechanisms. The Parties agreed to translate formed consent and mutually agreed terms the Aichi Target into national biodiversity with the fair and equitable sharing of ben- strategies and action plans by 2014. efits while taking into account the important Moreover, the 650 participants at the role of traditional knowledge. The Nagoya Nagoya Summit on Cities and Biodiversity Protocol is expected to gain early entry into agreed to translate the Aichi Targets into force by 2012, with support from the Global action plans at the city level. To this end, a Environment Facility of USD 1 million. The Singapore urban biodiversity index, tested Nagoya-Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Pro- out in 34 cities, was endorsed. A biodiver- tocol on Liability and Redress to the Carta- sity partnership between mayors and policy gena protocol on Biosafety was also a major makers was born in Nagoya with 122 parlia- breakthrough in Nagoya. mentarians of the world adopting the Nagoya The road from Curitiba to Nagoya was excit- Declaration on Parliamentarians and Biodi- ing. The road from Nagoya to New Delhi will versity. A Multi-Year Plan of Action on South- be challenging. The challenge we face indi- South Cooperation on Biodiversity for Devel- vidually and collectively is to make sure that opment was adopted by the G77 and China in the Nagoya Biodiversity compact produces support of the Aichi Target. At the Ecosystems concrete action over the years to come. To Pavilion, heads of agencies and international this end, the 2011-2020 International De- organizations discussed ways to better inte- cade of Biodiversity is a major tool aimed at grate actions to combat biodiversity loss, cli- engaging all sectors of society in the battle mate change and land degradation. to protect life on Earth. For indeed, Biodiver- In addition, representatives of 34 bilateral sity is Life, Biodiversity is our Life.

4 year in review 2010 The Convention for Life on Earth

The Convention on Biological Diver- and sub-humid lands biodiversity, is- sity (CBD) has three objectives — the land biodiversity, marine and coastal conservation of biological diversity, biodiversity, forest biodiversity, moun- the sustainable use of its components, tain biodiversity, and inland waters and the fair and equitable sharing of biodiversity. the benefits arising from the utilization Each programme establishes a vi- of genetic resources. It addresses is- sion for, and basic principles to, guide sues relating to research and training, future work. They also set out key is- public education and awareness, and sues for consideration, identify poten- technical and scientific cooperation. tial outputs, and suggest a timetable Negotiated under the auspices and means for achieving these. Imple- of the United Nations Environment mentation of the work programmes de- Programme, the Convention opened pends on contributions from Parties, for signature on 5 June 1992 at the Secretariat, and relevant intergov- the Rio Earth Summit, and entered ernmental and other organizations. into force on 29 December 1993. The They are periodically reviewed by Convention is legally binding and the COP and the open-ended inter- Parties are obliged to implement its governmental scientific advisory body provisions. Presently it includes 193 known as the Subsidiary Body on members—192 countries and the Euro- Scientific, Technical and Technologi- pean Community. cal Advice (SBSTTA), which conducts The Conference of the Parties (COP) is assessments of status and trends the governing body of the Convention, of, and threats to, biodiversity and and advances implementation of the provides the COP with scientifically, CBD through the decisions it takes at technically and technologically sound its periodic meetings. The COP has es- advice on the conservation of biologi- tablished seven thematic programmes cal diversity and the sustainable use of of work — agricultural biodiversity, dry its components. T hinkstock / year in review 2010 5 tockphoto i S Snapshots of collective action

he 2010 International Year of Biodiver- The IYB Logo sity (IYB) dedicated 365 days to pro- Any successful campaign is due in part to Tmoting the notion that biodiversity is creative branding. The IYB logo was created the basis of our existence. Worldwide cel- with the generous support of the Govern- ebrations encompassed both global edu- ment of Canada and soon became one of the cation and public outreach campaigns that most easily recognizable trademarks affiliat- galvanized different sectors of society under ed with the International Year. In fact, the IYB one universal message, “Biodiversity is Life, logo was translated into several languages, Biodiversity is our Life”. In its official role as in addition to the six official UN languages; the lead agency, the Secretariat of the Con- German, Divehi (Maldivian), Greek, Basque, vention on Biological Diversity took a num- Farsi, Hindi, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, ber of measures to prepare, coordinate and Korean, Maori, Malay, Dutch, Norwegian, facilitate the observance of the IYB. The Im- Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Slovak, Slo- plementation Strategy for the International vene, Swedish, Turkish, Urdu and Traditional Year of Biodiversity was made available in Chinese. Over 2000 organisations requested the six official United Nations languages, permission to use the IYB logo, who in turn providing our partners with initial ideas and partnered with their counterparts to promote achievable goals. the International Year in their region. The logo appeared on urban transit systems, in national parks, zoos, botanical gardens, flo- ral arrangements, in television commercials, the Jeopardy game show, in films at the FIFA world Cup, on websites, on posters and ban- ners at various events, calendars and post- age stamps, on the Airbus A380 aircraft, in in-flight magazines, on wine, beer and a number of other products around the world. H emera / T hinkstock

6 year in review 2010 T hinkstock / reatas C

Social Media Highlights of official The Internet played a paramount role in government launches promoting the International Year of Bio- The official launch of the International diversity. As of this writing, some 53,883 Year of Biodiversity took place on 11 Janu- fans actively follow the IYB Facebook page ary in Germany, with German Chancellor (www.facebook.com/iyb2010). And You- Angela Merkel, representing the Presidency Tube (www.youtube.com/user/chm.cbd) of the 9th meeting of the Conference of the provided the opportunity for the world to Parties (COP 9). Held at Berlin’s Museum of upload their biodiversity related videos. The Natural History in the presence of over 400 IYB website (www.cbd.int/2010), which con- participants, as well as representatives from tains all promotional material, videos, fact COP 10 and the President of the Group of sheets, logo, messages and other pertinent 77 and China, Chancellor Merkel urged the information, including celebrations around world to take the necessary steps to protect the world, accounts for 21% of the total CBD the Earth’s biodiversity. The Senior Vice- website traffic. Minister of the Environment of Japan, the

“Worldwide, International Year of Biodiversity celebrations encompassed both global education and public outreach campaigns that galvanized different sectors of society under one universal message, ‘Biodiversity is Life, Biodiversity is our Life.’”

year in review 2010 7 Launch of the International Year Launch of the International Launch of the International of Biodiversity in Germany Year of Biodiversity in Brazil Year of Biodiversity in China

Environment Minister of Yemen, the United the European Commission, celebrated the Nations Environment Programme Executive launch of IYB on 26-27 January, with partici- Director and the CBD Executive Secretary pants from 48 European countries attending also delivered statements. the conference on the “Post-2010 Biodiver- On 7 January, Brazil celebrated IYB in sity Vision and Target”. A Spanish public- Curitiba, the host of COP 8, with the partici- awareness campaign was launched, and pation of Mayor Beto Richa of Curitiba, Bra- the EC announced a five million euro public- zil’s Acting Minister of Environment, Izabella awareness biodiversity campaign. Teixeira, and Minister Mah Bow Tan of Singa- On 28 January, the Netherlands celebrated Fact pore. The event, held at the margins of the the launch of IYB with the Minister of Agri- There are greater opportunities than Second Curitiba Meeting on Cities and Bio- culture, Nature and Food Quality and the identified in earlier diversity, was attended by 95 participants, Minister of Education, Culture and Science assessments to address the biodiversity crisis while including representatives of 18 cities from in attendance at a high-level event. contributing to other social around the world. At the official launch of the IYB inSouth Af- objectives; for example, by reducing the scale of climate In Japan, the official Japanese launch took rica, held on 1 February, the Minister of Water change without large-scale place in Tokyo on 25 January, as did the first and Environmental Affairs called on all South deployment of biofuels and accompanying loss of meeting of the Japanese national committee Africans to unite in a global alliance to pro- natural habitats. (Global for the International Year of Biodiversity. The tect life on Earth by investing in biodiversity. Biodiversity Outlook 3) committee, chaired by the Chairman of Nip- pon Keidanren, comprised national and Highlights of official UN and local governments, academia, NGOs, other organizations launches private sector and media. The meeting The United Nations as a whole embraced was followed by the appointment of ad- the Year, starting with the inaugural event ditional members of “Life on the Earth” held in Paris, France by the UN Educational, Supporters (mostly celebrities) which Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNES- attracted much attention from the Jap- CO) which was followed by a scientific con- anese media. ference on 25-29 January at its headquarters. On 26 January, China kicked off its The ceremony included the Prime Minister IYB celebrations in Beijing, with 500 of GuineaBissau and the French Minister of participants attending a ceremony State, as well as the President of the General that featured Ministers and Vice-Min- Conference of UNESCO. isters of all biodiversity-related central Over 300 participants attended the sixth government departments, heads of Trondheim Conference on Biodiversity held provincial environment departments, in Trondheim, Norway, 1-5 February, featur- IYB logo even representatives of international and non- ing Norwegian Minister of Environment Erik reached the top of the governmental organizations and the media. Solheim, Angela Cropper, Deputy Executive Brandberg in Namibia In Madrid, Spain, the Spanish Ministry Director of the United Nations Environment for Environment and Rural Affairs, in co- Programme, and CBD Executive Secretary operation with the Council of Europe and Ahmed Djoghlaf.

8 year in review 2010 Launch of the International Year of CBD Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf met with UN As a contribution to IYB, the UN General Assembly Biodiversity in North America Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in February in New York convened a high-level meeting of the General Assembly at its 65th session

The North American launch of the IYB took sustaining life on Earth. The excitement gen- place in the United States of America on 10 erated by the IYB would not have been pos- February. The event in New York was con- sible if not for our 398 official IYB partners, or vened by the UN Development Programme the activities that were planned in 192 coun- Equator Initiative and a consortium of part- tries, featuring some 1143 activities. Here is a ners including Conservation International, small sampling of some of the activities un- Fordham University School of Law, The UN dertaken by various countries to commemo- Foundation, the Wildlife Conservation So- rate this remarkable year: ciety and the American Museum of Natural Argentina: The Municipality of Posadas History which hosted the event. Some 400 and the Ministry of Ecology, Renewable people attended despite a snowstorm that Natural Resources and Mission Tourism, cel- Some 192 countries, featuring some closed the New York offices of the UN. ebrated a week of biodiversity that included 1143 activities, helped celebrate the The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity and roundtable discussions and tours of their International Year of Biodiversity. the Philippines’ Department of Environment Botanic Gardens. For a more detailed look at the years’ celebrations please see and Natural Resources hosted the launch of www.cbd.int/2010/celebrations IYB in Southeast Asia on 5 March in Makati City, Philippines.

Global Success Widely celebrated throughout the world, the International Year of Biodiversity provid- ed a unique opportunity to raise awareness about the vital role that biodiversity plays in T hinkstock / I mages year in review 2010 9 omstock C The City of Montreal marked the International Year of Biodiversity with a floral display outside City Hall Celebrating the IYB in the Bermuda Aquarium Museum and Zoo

Cayman Islands: Some $80,000 in dona- sessions devoted to the recognition of the tions raised by the National Trust in a fund global economic benefits of biodiversity. drive went, according to organizers, towards Participating countries highlighted their na- the purchase of land negatively threatened tional initiatives for the conservation of the by development. biodiversity of the Wider Caribbean. India: The Shrikrishna Science Centre in Japan: The Japanese National Committee Patna organised several events and activi- for IYB implemented the ‘Life on Earth Proj- ties for schoolchildren from 17 to 21 August. ect’, and recruited and registered members Indonesia: A two-week film festival for chil- for the ‘Life on Earth Supporters’ Club’. dren was held in Jakarta. Malta: Activities included talks to scouts Fact Ireland: The first Saturday of Natural Heri- and the general public by staff from the Mal- Biodiversity and ecosystem changes could tage Week was designated Wild Child Day, a ta Environment and Planning Authority, as be prevented, significantly day that encourages families and children to well as a tourism and biodiversity fair organ- reduced or even reversed if strong action is applied get outdoors, and interact and connect with ised by the Malta Tourism Authority, at the urgently, comprehensively the natural world. Natural History Museum. and appropriately, at international, national Jamaica: The 14th Intergovernmental Namibia: Namibia was the first country to and local levels. (Global Meeting on the Action Plan for the Caribbean stage an International Biodiversity Action Biodiversity Outlook 3) Environment Programme included special Day as part of the IYB. The Day was devised

Putting a stamp on the year

Several countries issued special stamps to mark the International Year of Biodiversity:

10 year in review 2010 In Uruguay, even four-legged participants helped celebrate IYB Celebrating IDB in Oman

by the German Ministries for Environment South Africa: Supported by the Global and Economic Co-operation and Develop- Environment Facility, the IYB message was ment in co-operation with GEO magazine. brought to some 600,000 spectators watch- Philippines: June was designated “Philip- ing the 2010 FIFA World Cup matches live on pine Environment Month” in order to foster giant screens. public awareness about biodiversity, with Sweden: Nature Year, a partnership com- lectures held on climate change, biodiversity prising some 20 stakeholder organisations development and poverty alleviation. and governmental agencies to raise aware- Republic of Korea: 90 students from the ness about nature, focused its attention this UNESCO Associated School in Korea helped year on IYB. deliver the IYB message as they marched Thailand: Twenty-five animal and plant through the streets of Seoul carrying images species discovered by scientists from Chul- of flora and fauna, clouds, water, rain, snow, alongkorn University since 2007 were put on and genetic resources. display at Chamchuri Square in Bangkok. Singapore: The National Parks Board plant- United Kingdom of Great Britain and ed 600 trees belonging to 55 species in a Northern Ireland: The Natural History Muse- 9-kilometre stretch across Mount Faber Park, um organized a Youth Summit on Biodiver- Telok Blangah Hill Park and Kent Ridge Park. sity catering to 200 A-level students.

IYB wins award as best global environmental campaign

With the slogan “Biodiversity is Life. has demonstrated the resolve of the peo- Biodiversity is our Life”, the United Na- ple of the world to protect life on Earth,” tions International Year of Biodiversity won said Ahmed Djoghlaf, Executive Secretary the 2010 Green Award for best Global Cam- of the Convention on Biological Diversity. paign in recognition of the strength of a “The 2010 Green Award is recognition of, campaign that inspired activities through- and tribute paid to, people of the world for out the world that showcase the value and this achievement.” beauty of biodiversity. The Green Awards help illustrate the criti- “The celebrations organized for the cal role that green marketing and sustainabil- International Year of Biodiversity by the ity communications play in informing people citizens and Governments of 192 countries about green issues, products and lifestyle and partners around the world have been choices. The Awards showcase examples of an extraordinary human experience aimed excellence and best practice in communicat- T hinkstock / at reconnecting people with nature. It ing sustainability and green issues. tockbyte year in review 2010 11 xx S xx / F o J ohn Sweden held its IDB celebrations at Participants at IDB Scouts helped celebrate the Skansen nature park in Stockholm celebrations in Samoa IDB in Algeria

International Day for Biological Diversity Celebrations 2010

ommemorated under the theme ‘Bio- grounds and participated in such activi- diversity, Development and Poverty ties as drawing and a biodiversity quiz. CAlleviation,’ this year’s International Children could also attend workshops on Day for Biological Diversity (IDB) highlighted gardening and ornithology. For adults, the crucial contribution biodiversity makes a conference held at the Horticultural to poverty reduction, due to the basic goods School featured speakers discussing the and services it provides, and the integral various species found across Algeria and role biodiversity plays with regards to such the importance of maintaining them. key development sectors as agriculture Participants were then invited to plant and livestock, forestry, fishing and tourism. trees and shrubs in the botanical garden. Proclaimed by the United Nations to be cel-  Activities in Armenia centered on the ebrated every 22 May, IDB provides Parties nationwide campaign, ‘Exploring Biodi- with the opportunity to increase understand- versity of Rivers and Streamlets in Arme- ing and raise awareness of biodiversity-relat- nia’. The GTZ-SMB Programme and the ed issues, as well as on the activities of the Republic of Armenia Ministry of Nature Convention on Biological Diversity. Protection organized an event geared towards raising awareness of the coun- Celebrations around the World try’s biodiversity. Celebrations included Celebrations this year coincided with ac- a press conference featuring speakers tivities in 38 countries on four continents for from the Ministry of Nature Protection, the Biodiversity Action Day organized by the National Institute of Education, the Min- German Government serving as President istry of Education and Science and the of the ninth meeting of the Conference of GTZ-SMB Programme discussing IDB and the Parties (COP 9). The main celebration of the need to raise biodiversity awareness the IDB took place in Nairobi, Kenya, at the among young people. headquarters of the United Nations Environ-  Belgium organized several activities, in- ment Programme. The occasion in Nairobi cluding an outdoor photo exhibit by the was marked with the ringing of the Mass Ex- Minister for the Environment, Energy, tinction Memorial Observatory bell, simulta- Urban regeneration and Aid to Individu- Fact Although they cover neously with another in the United Kingdom. als, of 60 photos depicting biodiversity just 1.2% of the world’s Following is a random sampling of activi- in Brussels; a ‘biogeosafari’ trail game continental shelves, it is estimated that between 500 ties undertaken by Parties: organized by the Royal Belgian Institute million and more than one  Celebrations in Algeria took place at Jar- of Natural Sciences along various bio- billion people rely on coral reefs as a food resource. din d’Essai du Hamma. The event com- diversity-related locations in Brussels; (Global Biodiversity prised a variety of activities for all ages. and, a large field inventory weekend, Outlook 3) Children were given a guided tour of the organized by Flemish NGO Natuurpunt,

12 year in review 2010 Volunteers in Brazil celebrated Students marched through the streets of Seoul Planting trees to mark IDB in the IDB by doing a river cleanup in celebration of IDB in the Republic of Korea the United Arab Emirates

which resulted in 39,000 sightings and  Activities in India included a three- 3,211 observed species. day IDB celebration in the State of Sik-  A day-long celebration in the Lama For- kim, featuring a two-day trek through est in Benin featured speeches by local the Khangchendzonga National Park. officials, a theatre production and folk- Participants visited Khechupalri Lake loric dancing and singing. Many people where local representatives discussed also planted trees. Participants then the value and importance of the lake to trekked through the Lama Forest, lis- the local community. Conservation tech- tening to descriptions of the flora and niques being used to preserve the area fauna they passed. Local stands were were also explained. Participants then also visited to see products made and headed to Yuksam where they were guid- cultivated from the forest, products that ed through the area by Khangchendzon- help the region’s economy. ga Conservation Committee members.  Various celebrations were held across Participants also partook in a workshop, Brazil. In the Cerrado region, for exam- where they were asked to come up with ple, 50 farmers, scientists, and govern- conservation strategies. ment and NGO representatives walked  In Jordan, the Prime Minister and the around the area to raise awareness Ministry of Environment convened IDB about the need to conserve local spe- celebrations on 24 May. The event was cies. Participants met for a buffet lunch attended by the Minister of Environ- hosted by the Cerrado Taste Association, ment, Minister of Education and the an organization that promotes the use of president of the syndicate of journal- local food. Participants also gathered for ists and several stakeholders. IUCN, the a session in which possible solutions to Royal Botanical Garden and the Royal the conservation issues in the area were Society for Conservation of Nature also discussed. Several zoos also participat- participated. Presentations were made ed in informing the public about local on the progress towards the 2010 tar- species and provided games and activi- get and Jordan’s efforts in this regard. ties for the children. Awards were presented to student win-  The Ministry for Environment and Water ners of the biodiversity competition or- in Hungary highlighted the importance ganized by the Ministry of Environment. of conserving biodiversity. Students of Awards were also distributed to journal- a local school, together with scientists ists – winners of the best articles on the and taxonomists from the Danube-Ipoly Zarqa River, one of the most degraded Fact National Park and the Hungarian Natu- ecosystems in Jordan. Insects that carry pollen between crops, especially ral History Museum, analyzed the flora  The main IDB celebrations in Kenya took fruit and vegetables, are and fauna of the protected Szenas Hills. place in Nairobi with the participation estimated to be worth more than US$ 200 billion During the 24-hour-action day students of delegates from around the world. per year to the global observed first-hand how scientists work Opening ceremonies were conducted by food economy. (Global Biodiversity Outlook 3) in nature. various government delegates as well as

year in review 2010 13 bird watching, tree planting and various games. Adults learned about the impor- tance of maintaining mangroves and visited vulnerable bat species in their natural habitats. The city of Bacolod held a parade, with speeches and music. The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity also orga- nized events, including a biodiversity photo exhibit and a video showing.  Russia held its first IDB in a nature con- servation area in Kedrovaya Pad, situ- ated in the southern part of Russia’s Far East. The area, chosen by WWF and GEO Russia, is one of Russia’s oldest con- servation areas and one of its richest in plant and animal life. Fifty participants took inventory of the species found on a 400-square metre area of forest. Most participants were students from the State University of the Far East, but in- The European Union dignitaries from international organiza- cluded WWF experts, representatives commemorated IDB by placing a tions. More than 300 individuals assem- of a local environmental foundation, 10 unique outdoor plant installation comprising some 5,000 plants bled for a celebration at Karura Forest. journalists and the First Secretary from in the form of a map of the plant Participants also met at Huruma with the the United States Embassy in Moscow. diversity in Europe on the façade Huruma people to see first-hand how de-  In Turkey, the KuzeyDoğa Society or- of the European Environment velopment and biodiversity can coexist. ganized activities and press confer- Agency in Copenhagen, Denmark. The façade was in The Huruma people stressed the impor- ences in several important bird areas. place from May to October tance of maintaining the ecosystems so In Igdir, participants to a press confer- that they continue to use the water, me- ence were shown the banding of birds. dicinal plants and animal feed. The day At Kars a press conference was held at ended with participants planting over Lake Cali, a globally important bird area 200 trees. that contains a breeding population of  At the Parque Nacional Volcan Masaya the endangered white-headed duck. In in Nicaragua, a day-long celebration Istanbul a wildlife expert released three featured individuals from a variety of Eurasian Honey-buzzards found injured backgrounds being divided into groups and rehabilitated. and going on different excursions de-  Children in the area surrounding Viet- pending on the focus of their group: nam’s Phong Nha-Ke Bang National Park bird, mammal, vegetation or reptiles. At took part in an excursion to the natural the end of the day the groups met to dis- habitat of their region, where the chil- cuss their experiences. dren were encouraged to discover the  During the week preceding IDB, children local plant and animal species. Activi- and adults participated in camps held ties included a panel discussion on the across the Philippines. Activities helped importance of protecting the area and to promote and educate locals on the how to accomplish it, and a guided tour importance of biodiversity in their com- of the Phong Nha caves for biologists munities. Campers participated in hikes, and scientists.

14 year in review 2010 T hinkstock / tockphoto i S The Green Wave for biodiversity

On 22 May, the International Day for Bio- Curitiba, NGOs like Boticario and the ASE- logical Diversity, children and youth of the AN Centre for Biodiversity, as well as youth world were joined by dignitaries, teachers, groups such as Biodiversity Matters took the parents, experts and supporters from gov- opportunity to meet during a two hour side- ernments, companies, NGOs and other or- event to further engage and collaborate in ganizations to celebrate The Green Wave, a order to expand the campaign’s outreach. global wave of action for biodiversity. Jean Lemire, Canadian explorer, biolo- Participants created the biggest wave of gist and film-maker was appointed Ambas- celebrations by planting or taking care of sador to The Green Wave. As ambassador, a tree at 10:00 a.m. in their respective time Mr. Lemire will help carry The Green Wave zones and became part of the second wave, message on his next expedition, titled 1000 virtual this time, which went live at 20:10 on Days for the Planet. This multi-year voyage, the web site’s interactive map. planned to begin in the spring of 2011, will The 2010 Green Wave reached out to thou- focus on biodiversity and aims to reach out sands of students from more than 1000 to students directly in their schools and schools and groups in more than 60 coun- communities via satellite. During COP 10, tries. Activities leading up to the 22 May cel- Mr. Lemire received the Midori Prize for ebrations included bio-blitzes, biodiversity Biodiversity, an award which has been es- treasure hunts, biodiversity symposiums, tablished to mark the twentieth anniversary experts forums, film screenings, cleaning of the establishment of the ÆON Environ- campaigns, symbolic tree planting events, mental Foundation and to celebrate the GPS localization activities, large-scale plan- 2010 International Year of Biodiversity, for tations, nature walks and storytelling. his contribution as Green Wave ambassador At the tenth Conference of the Parties and in promoting the implementation of the (COP 10), several Green Wave partners and objectives of the CBD. supporters, including the GEF Small Grants Programme, Airbus, CBD Parties such as Ja- For more information, visit http://green- pan and Canada, cities like Montpellier and wave.cbd.int or contact [email protected]

Jean Lemire, Canadian explorer, CBD Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf and Rainer Ohler head of Public Some 111,000 participants from 1,588 groups biologist, film-maker and Affairs and Communications forA irbus, participated in Futures Day at the in 43 prefectures across Japan took part Ambassador to The Green Wave Farnborough International Airshow 2010. Futures Day aims to encourage in The Green Wave for biodiversity on the careers in aerospace and to get young people to be part of the solution to International Day for Biological Diversity global challenges such as climate change and biodiversity loss. year in review 2010 15 Global Biodiversity Outlook 3: Inaction more expensive than investing in action now New vision required to stave off dramatic biodiversity loss

he actions we take over the next de- released in May, the report confirmed that cade or two will determine whether the in the International Year of Biodiversity the Trelatively stable environmental condi- world has failed to meet its target to achieve tions on which human civilization has de- a significant reduction in the rate of biodi- pended for the past 10,000 years will con- versity loss by 2010. It also formed the basis tinue beyond this century, according to the of discussion of the Convention’s strategic third edition of the Global Biodiversity Out- plan at the tenth meeting of the Conference look 3 (GBO-3). of the Parties to the CBD in Nagoya, Japan. Produced by the Secretariat of the Con- Based on scientific assessments, national vention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and reports submitted by governments and a

President of the Republic of Korea receives CBD Award for contributions to biodiversity conservation and green growth

In recognition of his unique contribution a major instrument for achieving a green to the preservation of life on Earth, Mr. Lee economy and sustainable development. Myung-bak, the President of the Republic of President Lee, recognized by Time maga- Korea, was presented with the CBD Award by zine in 2007 as a “Hero of the Environment,” Ahmed Djoghlaf, CBD Executive Secretary. demonstrated his strong global leader- Presentation of the CBD Award took place ship toward achieving “low-carbon, green during the visit of the Executive Secretary growth,” by securing national commitments to the Presidential Office in Seoul on 24 on green investment at the level of two per August 2010. cent of GDP. His green leadership was dem- The Award represents the CBD Secretari- onstrated when, as Mayor of Seoul, he initi- at’s recognition of President ated a project to restore the once buried ma- Lee’s outstanding contribu- jor stream, Cheonggyecheon, which helped tion and commitment to the move the city towards a more environmen- conservation and sustain- tally-friendly future. able use of biodiversity as Established in 2006, the CBD Award rec- ognizes individuals who have made signifi- In recognition of his unique cant contributions to advancing the three i S

contribution to the preservation of tockphoto objectives of the Convention. Previous re- life on Earth, President Lee Myung- bak of the Republic of Korea received cipients include Chancellor Angela Merkel

the CBD Award from Ahmed Djoghlaf, of Germany and Canadian Prime Minister / T hinkstock 16 year in review 2010 CBD Executive Secretary Stephen Harper. T hinkstock / tockphoto i S

study on future scenarios for biodiversity, “We can no longer see the continuous loss of the report was subject to an extensive inde- pendent scientific review process. biodiversity as an issue separate from the core Principle conclusions reached in the report concerns of society. Realizing objectives such as of the current state of biodiversity suggest tackling poverty and improving the health, wealth that natural systems that support econo- mies, lives and livelihoods across the planet and security of present and future generations are at risk of rapid degradation and collapse, will be greatly strengthened if we finally give unless there is swift, radical and creative ac- biodiversity the priority it deserves.” tion to conserve and sustainably use the va- riety of life on Earth. The report also warns that massive further with consequences for the global cli- loss of biodiversity is becoming increas- mate, regional rainfall and widespread ingly likely, and with it, a severe reduction of species extinctions. many essential services to human societies  The shift of many freshwater lakes as several “tipping points” are approached, and other inland water bodies to eutro- in which ecosystems shift to alternative, less phic or algae-dominated states, caused productive states from which it may be dif- by the buildup of nutrients and leading ficult or impossible to recover. to widespread fish kills and loss of rec- These potential tipping points include: reational amenities.  The dieback of large areas of the Ama-  Multiple collapses of coral reef ecosys- zon forest, due to the interactions of tems, due to a combination of ocean climate change, deforestation and fires, acidification, warmer water leading to

year in review 2010 17 D esign P ics /R obert C able / Valueline / T hinkstock

Fact bleaching, overfishing and nutrient pol- learned from the failure to meet the 2010 Globally some 80% of lution; and threatening the livelihoods target, outlines possible new strategies for people in developing of hundreds of millions directly depen- reducing biodiversity loss. These include ad- countries rely on traditional medicines, the majority dent on coral reef resources. dressing the underlying causes or indirect of which are derived However, the GBO-3 argues that such out- drivers of biodiversity loss, such as patterns from plants. (Global Biodiversity Outlook 3) comes are avoidable if effective and coordi- of consumption, the impacts of increased nated action is taken to reduce the multiple trade and demographic change. Ending sub- pressures being imposed on biodiversity. For sidies would also be an important step. example, urgent action is needed to reduce The report concludes that we can longer land-based pollution and destructive fishing see the continuous loss of biodiversity as practices that weaken coral reefs, and make an issue separate from the core concerns of them more vulnerable to the impacts of cli- society. Realizing objectives such as tackling mate change and ocean acidification. poverty and improving the health, wealth It further notes that the linked challeng- and security of present and future genera- es of biodiversity loss and climate change tions will be greatly strengthened if we final- must be addressed by policymakers with ly give biodiversity the priority it deserves. equal priority and in close co-ordination, if The full report, launched in a number of cit- the most severe impacts of each are to be ies around the world, including Alexandria, avoided. Conserving biodiversity and the Bonn, Brasilia, Chamonix, London, Manama, ecosystems it underpins can help to store Montreal, New York, Nairobi, Panama, and more carbon, thus reducing further build-up Tokyo, and which was enabled by financial of greenhouse gases and allowing people to contributions from Canada, the European better adapt to unavoidable climate changes Union, Germany, Japan, Spain and the Unit- if ecosystems are made more resilient with ed Kingdom, as well as the United Nations the easing of other pressures. Environment Programme, can be accessed The Outlook, in taking into account lessons at: http://gbo3.cbd.int/.

18 year in review 2010 Iraq submits first National Report, Japan first to approve fourth National Biodiversity Strategy

Iraq and Japan both achieved two impor- To promote necessary measures on biodi- tant firsts in 2010. Iraq issued its first Nation- versity at the local and national levels, and al Report to the Secretariat of the Convention on the global level as COP 10 President, the on Biological Diversity (CBD) in July 2010. The Strategy prioritizes four issues: report, which examines and reports on the  Mainstreaming biodiversity status of biodiversity within Iraq, attempts into the daily life of individuals to lay the groundwork for the development  Rebuilding relationship between of a national biodiversity strategy and action human beings and nature in plan (NBSAP) that Iraq can implement. local communities While environmental issues have played  Securing linkages between a relatively small role in the recent public key ecosystems discourse in Iraq, which became the 192nd  Taking actions at the global Party to the Convention on 26 October 2009, level, promoting the Satoyama environmental concerns represent a huge Initiative, providing assistance to challenge within Iraq that are greatly com- developing nations and integrating plicating the development of the country. the economic base. These issues pertain to water resource man- Japan’s action plan section lists 720 actual agement; declines in biodiversity; waste measures to be undertaken for the imple- management; oil development and indus- mentation of the strategy, with progress to trial pollution, and environmental impacts be evaluated by 35 quantitative indicators. caused by decades of war and conflict. As of late 2010, 170 Parties have created As a new Party to the Convention, Iraq is in NBSAPs. Including Japan, 32 countries have the process of establishing the institutional revised theirs. Another 16 are presently un- and legal framework for CBD implementation. der revision. Only 9 Parties (including two In Japan, following review by the Central countries - Iraq and Somalia - that recently Environment Council and in accordance acceded to the CBD) have yet to provide the with the 2008 Basic Act on Biodiversity, Secretariat of the Convention information the Japanese cabinet on 16 March approved about the status of their NBSAPs. the National Biodiversity Strategy of Japan The inauguration of the Iraq stand at COP 10 2010. Thus Japan becomes the first country to revise its NBSAP for the third time. Japan’s new Strategy focuses on the role biodiversity plays in supporting life and livelihoods, and addresses some of the key drivers of biodiversity loss. Taking into ac- count the global discussion on developing a post 2010 target, it sets short-term targets for 2020 and mid- and long-term targets for 2050, all within a 100 year perspective. T hinkstock / tockbyte year in review 2010 19 xx S xx / F o J ohn Born at COP 10 – A global strategy for living in harmony with nature

he Nagoya biodiversity summit, held The summit, one of the most successful in Nagoya, Japan, from 18 to 29 Octo- meetings in the history of the Convention, T ber attracted 18,650 accredited par- adopted the Nagoya Protocol on Access ticipants representing the 193 Parties to the to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Eq- Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and uitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their partners. One hundred and thirty min- their Utilization following seven years of isters as well as the Heads of State and Gov- intense negotiations; the Strategic Plan for ernment attended the Ministerial Segment Biodiversity 2011-2020, which includes a of the Nagoya Summit. The representatives mission and strategic goals. This package of of 650 municipalities including 200 mayors, measure agreed to by governments will en- 122 legislators from 60 countries, 34 bilater- sure that the ecosystems of the planet will al and multilateral donor agencies, gathered continue to sustain human well-being into for the same cause. the future.

Delegates at the opening of the tenth meeting of CBD Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf Secretariat staff at the COP the Conference of the Parties (COP 10) in Nagoya speaks at the opening of COP 10 10 opening ceremony

20 year in review 2010 The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011 – 2020 Strategic Plan sets out ambitious and precise targets

f Kyoto entered history as the city where actions were not sufficient to address the the climate accord was born then Nagoya pressures on biodiversity or to fully integrate Iwill be remembered as the city where the biodiversity issues into broader policies, global biodiversity accord was born. As ad- strategies, programmes and actions. The end opted by Parties, the Strategic Plan for Bio- result was that the underlying drivers of bio- diversity 2011 – 2020 of the CBD is an am- diversity loss were not significantly reduced. bitious target with a powerful package of The new Strategic Plan promotes the ef- measures in place to halt the destruction of fective implementation of the Convention biodiversity by 2020. The Plan draws from through a strategic approach comprising a the wealth of experience gained in imple- shared vision, a mission, strategic goals and menting the Convention, which includes targets that will inspire broad-based action information from national reports, the third by all Parties and stakeholders. The Plan edition of the Global Biodiversity Outlook also provides for a flexible framework for (GBO-3), and scientific literature. the establishment of national and regional The overarching purpose of the plan is to targets and for enhancing coherence in the inspire broad-based action by all countries implementation of the provisions of the Con- and stakeholders in support of biodiversity vention and the decisions of the Conference Fact The Southern Africa tourism with a view of promoting coherent and effec- of the Parties, including the programmes of industry, based to a large tive implementation of the objectives of the work and the Global Strategy for Plant Con- extent on wildlife viewing, was estimated to be worth US$ Convention. The 2010 Biodiversity Target in- servation as well as the Nagoya Protocol on 3.6 billion in 2000. (Global spired action at many levels. However, these Access and Benefit-Sharing. Biodiversity Outlook 3)

The Vision of the Strategic Plan for The Mission of the Strategic Plan for Bio- Biodiversity 2011-2020 is ‘Living in diversity 2011-2020 is to take effective and harmony with nature’. By 2050, biodi- urgent action to halt the loss of biodiversity versity is valued, conserved, restored in order to ensure that by 2020 ecosystems and wisely used, maintaining ecosys- are resilient and continue to provide essen- tem services, sustaining a healthy tial services, thereby securing the planet’s planet and delivering benefits essen- variety of life, and contributing to human tial for all people. well-being and poverty eradication. T hinkstock / tockphoto i S

year in review 2010 21 What is the plan? The Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011- 2020 comprises several elements – a Vision for 2050, a Mission for 2020, five Strategic Goals and 20 targets. Collectively these are known as the Aichi Biodiversity Target. The Plan also contains provisions for imple- Actor Harrison Ford, in his role as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of Conservation mentation support mechanisms as well as International, came to Nagoya to help promote COP 10. Mr. Ford is flanked by (left) for the monitoring, review and evaluation of Russell Mittermeier, President of Conservation International, and CBD Executive the Plan. Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf The Aichi Biodiversity Target is the compo- nent of the Strategic Plan against which its progress will be assessed. The targets are di- vided amongst five strategic goals and each target addresses a different theme. Some of the targets define a desirable state while others refer to concrete actions or process- es that need to be undertaken. The Targets represent a set of global aspirations against which countries and other stakeholders can set their own targets given their own unique circumstances. Many of the targets are re- inforcing in that actions taken towards one The Naturathlon is an annual sporting event that encourages people to conserve nature. At can help to achieve progress towards others. the COP 10 Naturathlon 2010 – The Course of the World”, scores of delegates and Japanese citizens alike ran the 10km course with one common goal – the importance of biodiversity Generally the Targets are meant to inspire change, to provide a focus for concerted ac- tion, to report progress in implementing the Convention, to generate accountability, and to communicate the status and trends of bio- diversity to policy makers and the public.

The Aichi Biodiversity Target The Aichi Target comprises five stra- tegic goals and 20 headline targets to be achieved: The Biodiversity Governors’ Summit, an international symposium, was held on 19 October in which governors and vice governors from Aichi, Ishikawa, Hyogo, Shiga and Shizuoka as well Strategic Goal A: Address the underlying as academics and experts, presented their approaches and actions for the conservation of causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming Satoyama and Satoumi and its contribution to the revitalization of local communities biodiversity across government and society Achievement of this goal will require policy coherence and the integration of biodiver- sity into all national development policies and strategies and economic sectors and at all levels of government. Greater empha- sis needs to be put on, among other things, communication, public education, and public awareness, the broader use of plan- ning tools such as strategic environmental

22 year in review 2010 Ryu Matsumoto, Minister of the Environment for Japan, and CBD Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf, pose with stamps issued by Japan Post to commemorate COP 10 assessment as well as engaging stakehold- are eliminated, phased out or reformed in ers all sectors of government, society and order to minimize or avoid negative impacts, the economy. and positive incentives for the conserva- Target 1: By 2020, at the latest, people tion and sustainable use of biodiversity are are aware of the values of biodiversity and developed and applied, consistent and in the steps they can take to conserve and use harmony with the Convention and other rel- it sustainably. evant international obligations, taking into Increasing public understanding, aware- account national socioeconomic conditions. ness and appreciation of the diverse values The creation or further development of of biodiversity are necessary to underpin positive incentives for biodiversity could the ability and willingness of individuals to also help in the implementation of the Stra- make such changes and to create the ‘politi- tegic Plan by providing financial or other cal will’ for governments to act. incentives to encourage actions to support Target 2: By 2020, at the latest, biodiversity its implementation. values have been integrated into national Target 4: By 2020, at the latest, Govern- and local development and poverty reduction ments, business and stakeholders at all lev- strategies and planning processes and are els have taken steps to achieve or have im- being incorporated into national accounting, plemented plans for sustainable production as appropriate, and reporting systems. and consumption and have kept the impacts Including the values of biodiversity in na- of use of natural resources well within safe tional accounts, planning processes and ecological limits. poverty reduction strategies places biodi- Bringing the use of natural resources with- versity into the same decision framework in safe ecological limits is an integral part of as other goods and services and would help the Plan. give it greater visibility amongst policy-mak- Strategic Goal B: Reduce the direct pressures ers while contributing to the “mainstream- on biodiversity and promote sustainable use The city of Nagoya celebrated the 400th ing” of biodiversity. Ultimately it will only be possible to re- anniversary of its founding Target 3: By 2020, at the latest, incentives, duce or halt the loss of biodiversity if the during the time that the city including subsidies, harmful to biodiversity drivers and pressures on biodiversity are played host to COP 10

year in review 2010 23 CBD Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, second from right, appointed Japanese singer MISIA was the connects with the younger generation at COP 10 conservationist and acclaimed actor Edward Norton, second from Honorary Ambassador for COP 10 left, United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for Biodiversity in July.

themselves reduced or eliminated. With ris- Better management of harvested stocks ing human population and income, the de- and aquatic plants is needed to reduce pres- mand for biological resources is increasing, sure on marine ecosystems and to ensure and without action this will translate into in- the sustainable use of existing stocks. creased pressures on biodiversity. Target 7: By 2020 areas under agriculture, Target 5: By 2020, the rate of loss of all aquaculture and forestry are managed sus- natural habitats, including forests, is at least tainably, ensuring conservation of biodiversity. halved and where feasible brought close to Sustainable management can deliver zero, and degradation and fragmentation is benefits to production systems in terms of significantly reduced. services such as soil fertility, erosion con- The emphasis of this target is on prevent- trol, enhanced pollination and reduced pest ing loss of high-biodiversity value habitats, outbreaks, as well as contributing to the such as primary forests and many wetlands. well-being and sustainable livelihoods of lo- Target 6: By 2020 all fish and invertebrate cal communities. The “illustrated apple” is stocks and aquatic plants are managed and Target 8: By 2020, pollution, including an ancient tradition that harvested sustainably, legally and apply- from excess nutrients, has been brought to reached its peak in France in ing ecosystem based approaches, so that levels that are not detrimental to ecosystem the 19th century. A method overfishing is avoided, recovery plans and function and biodiversity. scarcely used in the rest of the world it was reinvented in measures are in place for all depleted spe- Better control of sources of pollution, Japan in 1970. These apples cies, fisheries have no significant adverse including efficiency in fertilizer use and are a result of cooperation impacts on threatened species and vulner- the better management of animal wastes, between the Fruit Gardens of able ecosystems and the impacts of fisheries coupled with the use of wetlands as natu- Laquenexy in France and the Sato Fukuroten company on stocks, species and ecosystems are within ral filtration plants, can bring nutrient lev- of Hirosaki, Japan safe ecological limits. els below levels that are critical for eco- system functioning, while also allowing for increased fertilizer use in areas where it is needed to meet soil fertility and food security needs. Target 9: By 2020, invasive alien species and pathways are identified and priori- tized, priority species are controlled or era- dicated, and measures are in place to man- age pathways to prevent their introduction and establishment. Pathways for the introduction of invasive alien species can be addressed through improved border controls and quarantine, including through better coordination with national and regional bodies responsible for

24 year in review 2010 Delegates engaged in discussion during Governor Masanori Tanimoto of Ishikawa Prefecture in Ministers and delegates gather to debate the plenary session on 29 October Japan addresses the Governor’s Summit on 19 October during the final plenary of COP 10

plant and animal health, as well as through well connected systems of protected areas early warning mechanisms, rapid response and other effective area-based conserva- measures and management plans. tion measures, and integrated into the wider Target 10: By 2015, the multiple anthro- landscape and seascapes. pogenic pressures on coral reefs, and other Increased attention needs to be paid to the vulnerable ecosystems impacted by cli- representivity and management effective- mate change or ocean acidification are ness of protected areas. Particular emphasis Fact minimized, so as to maintain their integrity is needed to protect critical ecosystems such The world’s fisheries employ approximately 200 million and functioning. as tropical coral reefs, sea-grass beds, deep- people, provide about 16% It is important to urgently reduce other an- water cold coral reefs, seamounts, tropical of the protein consumed worldwide and have a value thropogenic pressures, such as land-based forests, peat lands, freshwater ecosystems estimated at US$ 82 billion. pollution/sedimentation, unsustainable and coastal wetlands. (Global Biodiversity Outlook 3) fishing and physical pressures, on these vul- nerable ecosystems so as to increase their resilience to the effects of climate change and ocean acidification.

Strategic Goal C: To improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity Whilst longer term actions to reduce the underlying causes of biodiversity loss are taking effect, immediate actions to pre- vent the worst impacts of biodiversity loss will be required. Actions focusing specifi- cally on species, ecosystems and genetic diversity, such as protected areas, species recovery programmes, landuse planning ap- proaches, the restoration of degraded eco- systems and other targeted conservation in- terventions, can help conserve biodiversity and critical ecosystems. Target 11: By 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland water, and 10 per cent of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular importance for biodi- versity and ecosystem services, are con- served through effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and

T hinkstock / year in review 2010 25 tockbyte S Target 12: By 2020 the extinction of known Strategic Goal D: Enhance the benefits to all threatened species has been prevented and from biodiversity and ecosystem services their conservation status, particularly of Efforts should focus on maintaining and, those most in decline, has been improved wherever possible, restoring terrestrial, and sustained. freshwater and marine ecosystems to en- Current extinction rates are some 100 to sure the provision of valuable ecosystem 1000 times the background rate as a result services, contributing to the achievement of of human action. Imminent extinctions of the Millennium Development Goals and to known threatened species can, in many cas- climate change mitigation and adaptation. es, be prevented by protecting sites where Target 14: By 2020, ecosystems that pro- such threatened species are located, by vide essential services, including services combating particular threats, and through related to water, and contribute to health, ex situ conservation. livelihoods and well-being, are restored and Target 13: By 2020, the genetic diversity of safeguarded, taking into account the needs cultivated plants and farmed and domesti- of women, indigenous and local communi- cated animals and of wild relatives, includ- ties, and the poor and vulnerable. ing other socio-economically as well as cul- Priority should be given to safeguarding or turally valuable species, is maintained, and restoring such ecosystems, and to ensuring strategies have been developed and imple- that people, especially women, indigenous mented for minimizing genetic erosion and and local communities and the poor and vul- safeguarding their genetic diversity. nerable, have adequate and secure access The genetic diversity of cultivated plants to these services. and farmed and domesticated animals and Target 15: By 2020, ecosystem resilience of their wild relatives is in decline as is the and the contribution of biodiversity to car- Fact genetic diversity of other socio-economically bon stocks has been enhanced, through Amphibians have deteriorated in status fastest, and are and culturally valuable species. As such the conservation and restoration, including res- in absolute terms at greatest genetic diversity which remains needs to be toration of at least 15 per cent of degraded risk of extinction, in South and Central America and maintained and strategies need to be devel- ecosystems, thereby contributing to climate the Caribbean. (Global oped and implemented to minimize the cur- change mitigation and adaptation and to Biodiversity Outlook 3) rent erosion of genetic diversity. combating desertification. T om B rakefield / THINKSTOCK

26 year in review 2010 Financing implementation of the Strategic Plan

Several major announcements were made support for the Strategic Plan will be pro- during COP 10 concerning the financing of vided under the framework of the resource the implementation of the CBD. Prime Min- mobilization strategy. Parties will work to ister Naoto Kan of Japan announced USD2 define in time for COP 11 billion in financing, and Ryu Matsumoto, in 2012, the targets and Japan’s Minister of the Environment an- mechanisms through nounced the establishment of a Japan Biodi- which financial resourc- versity Fund. Additional financial resources es can be identified, un- were announced by France, the European leashed and channeled. Union and Norway. Some USD110 million were mobilized in support of projects under Japan’s Prime Minister Naoto the CBD LifeWeb Initiative aimed at enhanc- Kan, as seen here on the

T hinkstock / ing the protected-area agenda. Financial video screen, announced a USD2 billion fund tockphoto i S

Conservation is preferable, but restored ownership and buy-in it will be essential to landscapes and seascapes can improve involve all segments of society in the devel- resilience and can contribute to climate opment of the national biodiversity strate- change adaptation and generate additional gies and action plans. Progress towards this benefits for people, in particular indigenous strategic goal will facilitate the achievement and local communities and the rural poor. of all other strategic goals and targets con- Target 16: By 2015, the Nagoya Protocol on tained in this Strategic Plan. Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Target 17: By 2015 each Party has devel- Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from oped, adopted as a policy instrument, and their Utilization is in force and operational, has commenced implementing an effective, consistent with national legislation. participatory and updated national biodiver- Ensuring that the Protocol is fully enforced sity strategy and action plan. and operational will help to ensure the sus- It is essential for Parties to develop, adopt tainable use and conservation of biodiversity. and commence implementing an updated NBSAP in line with the goals and targets set Strategic Goal E: Enhance implementation out in the Strategic Plan. through participatory planning, knowledge Target 18: By 2020, the traditional knowl- management and capacity-building edge, innovations and practices of indig- National strategies need to integrate new enous and local communities relevant for national targets consistent with this Strate- the conservation and sustainable use of gic Plan and must be implemented through biodiversity, and their customary use of bio- action plans involving all parts of govern- logical resources, are respected, subject to Fact ment, society and the economy. This will re- national legislation and relevant interna- The net loss of forests has slowed substantially, from quire improvements in knowledge as well as tional obligations, and fully integrated and approximately 83,000 square in its dissemination. In addition substantial reflected in the implementation of the Con- kilometres per year in the 1990s to just over 50,000 increases in capacity in all countries, espe- vention with the full and effective participa- square kilometers per year cially developing countries, will be need- tion of indigenous and local communities, at from 2000-2010. (Global Biodiversity Outlook 3) ed. In order to ensure the requisite level of all relevant levels.

year in review 2010 27 Traditional knowledge, innovations and assessments to be developed and reported practices should be respected, protected, by Parties. maintained and promoted, and used in lo- The capacity for implementing the Conven- cal ecosystem management, drawing upon tion, in terms of trained staff and financial experiences of customary use, with the ap- resources is limited in most countries, and proval of relevant communities. especially in developing countries. The ca- Target 19: By 2020, knowledge, the sci- pacity that currently exists needs to be safe- ence base and technologies relating to bio- guarded and further developed to enable diversity, its values, functioning, status and countries to meet the challenges of imple- trends, and the consequences of its loss, are menting the Strategic Plan. improved, widely shared and transferred, The action taken over the next decade to and applied. implement the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity Further efforts are needed to improve 2011-2010, and the direction charted under biodiversity-related knowledge and reduce the Convention, will determine whether the uncertainties. For knowledge that is already relatively stable environmental conditions available, access should be improved. on which human civilization has depended Target 20: By 2020, at the latest, the mo- for the past 10,000 years will continue be- bilization of financial resources for effec- yond this century. If we fail to use the oppor- tively implementing the Strategic Plan 2011- tunities provided by the Strategic Plan for Fact 2020 from all sources and in accordance Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the UN Decade The ecological footprint with the consolidated and agreed process in on Biodiversity, many ecosystems on the of humanity exceeds the the Strategy for Resource Mobilization planet could move into new, unprecedented biological capacity of the Earth by a wider margin than at should increase substantially from the cur- states in which the capacity to provide for the time the 2010 target was rent levels. This target will be subject to the needs of present and future generations agreed. (Global Biodiversity Outlook 3) changes contingent to resources needs is highly uncertain. A nup S hah / D igital/ Vision / T hinkstock

28 year in review 2010 T hinkstock / tockphoto i S

Second Global Private Donor Forum

The second edition of the Global Private conservation? Plus, they get to decide in Donor Forum, held on 26 October at the mar- what areas and how they will support biodi- gins of COP 10, gathered prominent figures versity conservation. Furthermore, there will from diverse sectors, including business, be no rich people either on a dead planet”. private foundations and the international In an effort to demonstrate commitment political platform and highlighted the mes- and outreach towards global conservation sage of the third edition of the Global Biodi- of biodiversity, a Memorandum of Under- versity Outlook. standing was signed in the presence of the The meeting, which is an exchange be- participants of the forum, between AEON tween private, public and international Environmental Foundation and the Conven- stakeholders that began in 2009 in Ber- tion on Biological Diversity. lin with the First Global Donor Forum, was “Today, the preservation of global warm- graced by the presence of actor Harrison ing and conservation of biodiversity are Ford, and featured the participation of Doug- recognized as two challenging issues at the las Tompkins, President of the Foundation global level… the AEON Environmental Foun- for Deep Ecology and Chair of the First Glob- dation intends to make further contribu- al Private Donor Forum, and Takuya Okada, tions to save our beautiful and irreplaceable Chairman of AEON Environmental Founda- planet for future generations” reinforced tion. The forum called for participants to Mr. Okada. move forward towards private financial com- The meeting was followed by a reception mitment for biodiversity conservation. that included the CBD award presentation Mr. Tompkins said, “The private sector, to Airbus for the company’s use of its global especially the mega-rich who have osten- reach to help educate young people world- sibly become mega-rich through some form wide about the importance of biodiversity, of natural resources exploitation, need and the presentation of the video Discovery to pay their rent for living on the planet. Project Earth by James Gibbons, President What better way that privately supported of Discovery Channel Japan.

Douglas Tompkins, President of the Foundation for Deep Kristine McDivitt Tompkins, Vice President, Takuya Okada, Chairman of AEON Ecology and Chair of the First Global Private Donor Forum Foundation for Deep Ecology Environmental Foundation

year in review 2010 29 The International Partnership for the Satoyama Initiative Developing a globally applicable strategy for the sustainable use of the earth’s resources

he International Partnership for the Sa- biodiversity in human-influenced habitats is toyama Initiative, launched at a side equally urgent. T event during COP 10, aims to develop a In 2008, the satoyama concept was put globally applicable strategy for the sustain- forth by G8 environment ministers in Kobe, able use of the sources of life on earth. It is Japan, as a model of how humans should expected that the partnership will go a long live and interact with nature. It then gained way towards helping implementation of the impetus at COP 9 in Bonn, and subsequently 2011-2020 biodiversity strategy. at several international satoyama forums. Set up by Japan’s Ministry of the Environ- The partnership provides an international ment and the United Nations University In- platform for all organizations engaged in in- stitute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), the tegrating conservation and sustainable use initiative helps promote traditional Japanese of biodiversity in production landscapes, in- land conservation around the world. While it cluding forests and agricultural lands. These is widely recognized that conservation of un- landscapes, and the sustainable practices spoilt wildernesses is vital to preserve eco- and knowledge they represent, face increas- systems, the fight to preserve and promote ing threats in many parts of the world due to

LifeWeb Initiative: Over US$110 million for protected areas

A total of more than US $110 million for profiled on CBD LifeWeb’s clearing-house. funding of protected areas was announced Financing matches announced will benefit at a high-profile dinner hosted by the Colombia, Costa Rica, as well as countries in CBD LifeWeb Initiative during the tenth the Eastern Caribbean, Mozambique, South meeting of the Conference of the Parties Africa, and others. (COP10) of the Convention on Biological Launched in 2008, LifeWeb provides Diversity, on 24 October, in Nagoya, Japan. a user-friendly clearing-house for coun- At the event, attended by more than 180 tries to profile their protected area needs people, including 24 Ministers and Deputy and invite international support; facilitates Ministers, public and private donor partners funding matches; coordinates counter-

announced their financing commitments part financing among donors; and reco- C omstock and technical support for protected area gnizes donor support and innovation for projects, relevant to Expressions of Interest natural solutions. I mages / T hinkstock

30 year in review 2010 T hinkstock / tockphoto i S

urbanization, industrialization, and chang- “By rebuilding harmonious relationships between ing patterns of rural populations. Apart from improving the sustainability of protected humans and nature, it is expected that the Satoyama area systems, measures are also required Initiative will contribute to slowing the escalating loss to promote and strengthen the conservation of biodiversity worldwide.” of globally significant biodiversity on land- scapes outside of protected areas. The partnership is open to all types of or- between humans and nature, it is expect- ganizations, including governmental organi- ed that the Satoyama Initiative will contri- zations, NGOs/ CSOs, indigenous and local bute to slowing the escalating loss of bio- community organizations, academic, educa- diversity worldwide, with the dual impacts tional and/or research institutes, industry or of retaining and enhancing the biodiversity private sector organization, and UN/ other found in human-influenced natural environ- international organizations. ments and promoting sustainable use of It will also collaborate with other initiatives natural resources. that deal with socio-ecological production In the process, the initiative may also help landscapes, with the aim of ensuring syn- improve human well-being, for example, en- ergy and complementarities among activi- hancing stable food production and income ties of organizations; as well as maximising generation by applying pluralistic land uses resources and strengthening each other’s and betterment of living conditions by pro- work. These collaborative activities include moting environmentally friendly biomass knowledge facilitation, for example collect- resources. Furthermore, the initiative can ing, analyzing and distilling lessons from also allow for the enjoyment of the bene- case studies and disseminate these via an fits of sustainable use of genetic resources online database. through appraisal of traditional knowledge By rebuilding harmonious relationships and culture.

year in review 2010 31 Promotional material, including pins, provided During both COP 10 and MOP 5 media had Promotional material at COP 10 by the Japanese Ministry of Environment proved access to a large media communications centre popular with participants at COP 10

German Chancellor Angela Merkel awarded special biodiversity prize

German Chancellor Angela Merkel re- The Special Prize was established at the ceived the special MIDORI Prize for biodi- suggestion of the judges at the Judging versity in recognition for her special con- Committee Meeting, in commemoration of tribution to saving biodiversity during the the International Year of Biodiversity. Chan- International Year of Biodiversity. The MIDO- cellor Merkel received a wooden plaque and RI Prize for Biodiversity was announced at a prize of USD 500,000. an awards ceremony held 27 October hosted The AEON Environmental Foundation es- by the Japanese Minister of Environment in tablished the MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on the mar- and announced the three recipients at a gins of the tenth meeting of the Conference press conference held at the United Nations of the Parties to the Convention. Headquarters in New York on 21 September The MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity honours 2010: individuals who have made outstanding  Jean Lemire (Canada, biologist, contributions to conservation and sustain- explorer and film maker) able use at local and global levels, and who  Gretchen C. Daily (United have developmentally influenced various States of America, Professor, biodiversity-related efforts, as well as rais- Stanford University) ing awareness about biodiversity. Estab-  Emil Salim (Indonesia, Chairman of lished as an international award for biodi- the Advisory Council to the President versity following the implementation of the of Indonesia, former Minister of State “Japan Awards for Biodiversity 2009”, the for Population and the Environment). award is co-organized by the AEON Environ- Based on the establishment of the mental Foundation and Japan’s Ministry of MIDORI Prize for Biodiversity, the AEON the Environment. Environmental Foundation and the Secre- Chancellor Merkel was commended for tariat of the CBD reached agreement on 26 showing strong leadership on global en- October that they would cooperate do- vironment issues such as biodiversity and mestically and internationally on the con- climate change and, among other things, servation of biodiversity. This coop- for placing biodiversity as a top agenda eration includes the implementation item at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm of programmes related to biodiversity, in 2007. Ursula Heinen-Esser, Parliamen- such as educating youth, public relations tary State Secretary of the Government of activities and the planting of trees, as Germany, accepted the award on behalf of well as promotion of the MIDORI Prize i S Chancellor Merkel. for Biodiversity. tockphoto / T hinkstock

32 year in review 2010 122 parliamentarians of the world adopted the Nagoya Nagoya Congress Center Vice Minister Kazuhiko Takemoto of Japan visited the Declaration on Parliamentarians and Biodiversity CBD Secretariat in June

Group of 77 and China Adopt Draft Plan of Action on South-South Cooperation on Biodiversity for Development

At the First Forum on South-South was held, in partnership with the CBD Ex- Cooperation on Biodiversity for Devel- ecutive Secretariat, to launch a framework opment, which convened on 17 October for the development of a plan of action for 2010, in Nagoya, Japan, the 131 Parties of South-South cooperation on biodiversity for the Group of 77 and China unanimously ad- development. The follow-up process result- opted the draft “Multi-Year Plan of Action on ed in the elaboration of a draft Multi-Year South-South Cooperation on Biodiversity Plan of Action and its review and consider- for Development.” ation during the Thirty-fourth Annual Meet- The Multi-Year Plan of Action provides a ing of the Ministers for Foreign Affairs of the set of measures and mechanisms to support Member States of the Group of 77 held in the goal of conservation of biodiversity tak- New York on 28 September 2010. ing into account progress made in achieving According to Ambassador Abdullah the relevant Millennium Development Goals M. Alsaidi, permanent representative of the (MDGs). It is hoped that the Plan will become republic of Yemen to the United Nations, a valuable tool for facilitating South-South and Chairman of the Group of 77, “The cooperation, determine national strategies, Multi-Year Plan of Action would contribute share information and technology on issues to bringing the South one step closer to related to biodiversity, its preservation and forming the partnerships much needed to its relation to sustainable development. accomplish the goals set by our countries This First South-South Cooperation Fo- under the Convention.” rum on Biodiversity for Development is the The Forum was attended by 40 participants outcome of a joint initiative by the Group of from many countries including Angola, Anti- 77 and China and the Convention on Biologi- gua and Barbuda, Argentina, Brazil, China, On 17 October the G-77 and cal Diversity (CBD) Secretariat to support Grenada, Libya, Malawi, Mexico, South Af- China organized, with the Secretariat of the CBD, a Forum the implementation of the Convention rica, Singapore, St Lucia, and Yemen. on South-South cooperation on through the modality of South-South coop- biodiversity for development, eration as a complement to the traditional at the margins of COP 10 North-South cooperation in the field of biodiversity and sustainable development. The plan also supports the Convention’s 2011-2020 Strategic Plan and the Millen- nium Development goals. The idea for a plan of action dates back to November 2006. A brainstorming session on South-South cooperation on biodiversity

year in review 2010 33 Cities and Local Authorities Adoption of Plan of Action on Subnational Governments, Cities and Other Local Authorities for Biodiversity highlights busy year

ollowing the groundbreaking decision including more than 240 mayors, governors, on cities and local authorities adopted senior local government officials and heads F at COP 9 in Bonn, Germany, the Global of international organizations, shared best Partnership on Cities and Biodiversity and practices and lessons learned from their ac- the CBD Secretariat were busy encouraging tions for local biodiversity. local action for biodiversity in the buildup The city summit results, adopted as the towards COP 10 and beyond. Aichi/Nagoya Declaration on Local Authori- In January, the City of Curitiba and the ties and Biodiversity, were announced by CBD Secretariat organized the Second Cu- Mayor Takashi Kawamura of Nagoya City and ritiba Meeting on Cities and Biodiversity in Governor Kanda of Aichi Prefecture at the Curitiba, Brazil. Ninety-one participants, in- high-level segment of COP 10 on 28 October, cluding representatives of 13 cities from 11 to the head of States and governments. On countries, produced the Towards Aichi/Na- 29 October the Plan of Action on Subnational goya: Second Curitiba Declaration on Local Governments, Cities and Other Local Author- Authorities and Biodiversity, a declaration ities for Biodiversity was formally endorsed that proposed taking the draft plan of action and adopted by all 193 Parties to the CBD. produced in the meeting to COP 10. The Plan of Action provides non-prescrip- The City Biodiversity Summit, held parallel tive guidelines to assist national govern- Participants at the City to COP 10 from 24-26 October, was an un- ments in aiding local governments to imple- Biodiversity Summit qualified success. Some 679 participants, ment the objectives of the CBD.

34 year in review 2010 Third Linnaeus Lecture

The third Linnaeus Lecture took place on Linnaeus’ birth in 2007, the Swedish Na- 22 October in the margins of the Nagoya tional Heritage Board decided to nominate biodiversity summit. Initiated by the CBD “The Rise of Systematic Biology,” a compi- Secretariat in 2007 to mark the tri-centen- lation of 13 sites in eight countries that rep- nial of Carl Linnaeus’ birth, the Swedish resent the foundation of the science of sys- scientist widely credited as being the father tematic biology as a UNESCO World Heritage of modern taxonomy, the event featured the Site. He also hoped that the Swedish Tax- official lecture by Tommy Koh, Ambassador- onomy Initiative, which seeks to identify all at-Large, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign of Sweden’s multi-cellular species, would Affairs, and a speech by Peter Egardt, the inspire other countries to survey their own Governor of Uppsala, Sweden. national species. Koh noted the three most important en- vironmental challenges of our time as be-

/ T hinkstock / ing climate change, biodiversity loss and CBD Executive Secretary desertification. He voiced his support for Ahmed Djoghlaf is Japan’s proposal to designate a UN Decade Valueline flanked by (left) Peter / / of biodiversity and suggested that the UN Egardt, Governor of General Assembly undertake a mid-term re- Uppsala, Sweden and (right) Tommy Koh,

I nterisano view in 2015 of progress towards achieving Ambassador-at-Large, a 2020 biodiversity target. Singapore’s Ministry of Egardt recalled that following the global Foreign Affairs, at the / M ichael / celebrations of the 300th anniversary of third Linnaeus Lecture P ics D esign

The implications for local governments “The City Biodiversity Summit was an unqualified success. of the endorsement of the Plan of Action Some 679 participants, including more than 240 mayors, are that:  National governments now have an governors, senior local government officials and heads obligation to consider and involve oth- of international organizations, shared best practices and er levels of government in their Natio- lessons learned from their actions for local biodiversity.” nal Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs)  National governments have agreed to national governments with opportunities work with their sub-national and local to work together with sub-national govern- governments to align local and national ments, cities, and other local authorities on objectives pertaining to the manage- the development of biodiversity strategies ment of ecosystems and biodiversity, and action plans. and explore ways they can support biodi- The roadmap for the implementation of versity implementation at the local level. the Plan, to be discussed at the Montpellier The Plan calls for capacity building and meeting in 17-19 January 2011, will include dissemination of best practices and for an a cooperation framework, fund-raising strat- “assessment of the links and opportunities egies and a new platform for sub-national between urbanization and biodiversity” to governments to participate in the implemen- be produced by 2012, and aims at providing tation of the Plan.

year in review 2010 35 Gender and Biodiversity

utcomes from COP 10 in Nagoya in- developing, implementing and revising their clude a new protocol on ABS that national and, where appropriate, regional, Orecognizes “the vital role that women biodiversity strategies and action plans, play in access and benefit sharing and af- and equivalent instruments, in implement- firming the need for the full participation of ing the three objectives of the Convention, women at all levels of policy making and im- taking into account the guidance provided in plementation for biodiversity conservation.” the CBD Technical Series No. 49. At COP 10, the COP through its decision In the past year, thanks to the generous fi- X/19, emphasized the importance of gender nancial contribution from the Government of mainstreaming in all programmes of work Finland in funding the position of a Gender under the Convention in order to achieve Programme Officer, the Convention has been the objectives of the Convention and its able to implement the following: Strategic Plan for the period 2011-2020; Re-  In collaboration with IUCN, the de- velopment of CBD Technical Series No: 49 Guidelines for Mainstreaming Gender into the National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) (publication and printing costs were cov- ered by HIVOS).

S  Orientation training session held for eiya delegates on guidelines at the margins K awamoto of WGRI 3(funding for training provided by HIVOS)

/L ifesize  Held two high-level dialogues at the UN Secretariat on gender mainstreaming is-

/ T hinkstock sues; at the margins of the Annual Minis- terial Review of ECOSOC in July and at the margins of the MDG Summit in Septem- ber (highlights and photos available at www.cbd.int/gender .The Secretariat has quested the Executive Secretary in coopera- also taken the lead in working towards a Fact Significant progress has tion with other intergovernmental and non- coordinated framework for gender main- been made in the ex situ governmental organizations, to enhance streaming in other Rio Conventions and conservation of crops, that is the collection of seeds from efforts to fully implement the Plan of Action their financial mechanism, the GEF. different genetic varieties in order to mainstream gender consider-  At a COP 10 side event on Gender Main- for cataloguing and storage for possible future use. For ations in all aspects of the work under the streaming in the three Rio Conventions: some 200 to 300 crops, it is Convention and formulate clear indicators Promoting Synergies for Sustainable De- estimated that over 70% of genetic diversity is already to monitor progress; Invited Parties to con- velopment, the three Conventions and conserved in gene banks, sider gender as a core cross-cutting issue in the GEF discussed gender mainstream- meeting the target set under the Global Strategy for the implementation of biodiversity-related ing in their respective institutions, in- Plant Conservation. (Global activities; and, urged Parties to promote the cluding an analysis of gaps and chal- Biodiversity Outlook 3) mainstreaming of gender considerations in lenges for better coordination.

36 year in review 2010 Rio Conventions’ Ecosystems and Climate Change Pavilion

Launched during the International Year of and 15 other important partners – including Biodiversity and convened for the first time Parties, UN, NGOs, the Global Island Part- in Nagoya, Japan, at COP 10, the Rio Conven- nership, ICLEI – Local Governments for Sus- tions’ Ecosystems and Climate Change Pa- tainability, the Economics of Ecosystems vilion featured 56 sessions involving more and Biodiversity study (TEEB), IUCN World than 200 presenters and panel members. Commission on Protected Areas, Conserva- A platform for raising awareness and tion International, the United Nations De- sharing information about the latest prac- velopment Programme, the United Nations tices and scientific findings on the co-ben- Environment Programme and the CBD’s efits that can be realized through imple- LifeWeb Initiative. mentation of the three Rio Conventions, the The sessions at the Pavilion, which includ- Ecosystems Pavilion provides a place ed ministers, scientists, policy makers and for negotiators and other key decision civil society representatives, had between makers, scientists, and practitioners to 50 to 100 people in attendance per session, discuss the links between biodiversity, cli- with an overall attendance estimated be- mate change and sustainable land mana- tween 2500 to 3500 people and were organ- gement and to identify key areas for great- ised by thematic days. er cooperation in the context of the Rio During the course of the conference Conventions, particularly at the national in Nagoya, the Pavilion highlighted sev- and sub-national levels. But, as Seychelles eral specific themes and crosscutting is- Ambassador to the UN and US, Ronny sues relevant to the Rio Conventions and Jumeau, observed, the Pavilion also al- their common objective to support sustain- lows for relevant parties, such as indige- able development and the achievement of nous people, NGOs and IGOs who are often the Millennium Development Goals. Key disengaged from the negotiating round- themes included ecosystem based ap- table to have a platform where they can proaches to climate change; forest biodiver- convey their needs. sity and adaptation and mitigation; the role This new collaborative outreach activity of oceans; indigenous peoples and com- includes the Rio Convention secretariats, to- munities, water, the role of protected areas, gether with the Global Environment Facility and financing. T hinkstock /

year in review 2010 37 Vision D igital Forest Biodiversity: Moving ahead with REDD-plus

010 was a critical year for the world’s for- forests, and to significantly reduce degrada- ests. Key findings from the Global Forest tion and fragmentation (Target 5). Other tar- 2Resources Assessment 2010 show that gets are to manage areas under agriculture, while deforestation has slowed somewhat in aquaculture and forestry sustainably (Target recent years as compared to the 1990s, it is 7); conserve at least 17% of terrestrial and still alarmingly high. Continued deforestation inland water and 10% of coastal and marine has resulted in carbon emissions, shortages areas (Target 11); and enhance the resilience in water and food supply, and in an unprec- and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon edented loss of forest biodiversity. stocks through conservation and restora- The new Strategic Plan for Biodiversity, tion, including restoration of at least 15% of adopted at COP 10, addresses some of the degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing challenges associated with continued defor- to climate change mitigation and adaptation estation. It contains several targets directly and to combating desertification (Target 15). relevant to the conservation and sustain- COP 10 also adopted a series of deci- able use of forest biodiversity. These targets sions with regards to forests. Most notably, include, inter alia, a target to at least halve, perhaps, it invited Parties and other Gov- and where feasible bring close to zero, the ernments to enhance the benefits for, and rate of loss of all natural habitats, including avoid negative impacts on biodiversity from

Knowledge-sharing at the CEPA Fair

The Nagoya biodiversity summit pro- citizen science vided the perfect backdrop to host the sec-  Media relations and biodiversity ond Communication, Education and Public  Building capacity for CEPA at national Awareness (CEPA) Fair. Coinciding with the and regional levels International Year of Biodiversity, the CEPA  Mainstreaming biodiversity into educa- Fair provided an excellent opportunity for tion for sustainable development Governments and partner organizations to  Natural history museums, zoos, botani- share with the world their activities and cel- cal gardens and CEPA ebrations in support of the Year.  Information technology and CEPA (in- Thirty-six events, with most if not all fea- cluding social networking) turing a high attendance record, were held  Indigenous and local

in the margins of COP 10. Themes show- communities and communicating i S tockphoto cased included: traditional knowledge  CEPA and the CBD strategic plan  Communicating the economic value

 Biodiversity monitoring and of biodiversity / T hinkstock

38 year in review 2010 Recognized by the Ministry of the Environment of Japan as an Eco-First company, and based on the airline’s commitment to the Eco-First Pledge and to the established Biodiversity Policy of the JAL Group, Japan Airlines sought to raise the awareness of the importance of protecting the diversity of life on Earth and to draw attention to COP 10 THINKSTOCK / B rakefield om T

REDD-plus (reducing emissions from defor- estation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries). In this con- text, COP requested the Executive Secretary to provide advice, including on the applica- tion of relevant biodiversity safeguards for REDD-plus; to identify possible indicators During his visit to the CBD Secretariat, the Governor of Ishikawa, Masinori Tanimoto, presented the Secretariat with a donation to its Museum of Nature and Culture. The to assess the contribution of REDD-plus to Japanese doll, in a hand-crafted wooden display case, represents the commitment of the achieving the objectives of the Convention; Prefecture to the Convention and to the International Year of Biodiversity and to assess potential mechanisms to mon- itor impacts of REDD-plus on biodiversity. Attending to these requests, the Secretar- iat will build on the results of its work done in 2010, among other things, on outcomes of a global expert workshop on biodiversity benefits of REDD-plus (Nairobi, September 2010), and criteria and indicator guidelines for forest degradation, developed in coop- eration with partners in the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF).

The afternoon panel of the High-Level meeting of the UN General Assembly on biodiversity in September was co-chaired by Erik Solheim, Norway’s Ministeryear in reviewfor the 2010Environment 39 and International Development, and María Fernanda Espinosa, Ecuador’s Minister for Heritage i S tockphoto / T hinkstock

Inland Waters Biodiversity

he year marked the in-depth review of and programmes of work of the Convention. the programme of work, considered ini- COP 10 responded by incorporating water T tially at SBSTTA-14. COP 10 subsequent- more explicitly in the Strategic Plan for Bio- ly recognised water as the primary global diversity (2011-2020) noting in particular the natural resource challenge and a key natural paramount importance of water with regards resource link between the various Millenni- to target 14. um Development Goals. COP 10 also noted The COP 10 decision on inland waters was that water is the key mechanism through also significant by recognising the role of which the impacts of climate change on eco- biodiversity and ecosystems in providing systems, and people, are felt and therefore services that reduce risks and vulnerability the key link between biodiversity, climate to the impact of some natural disasters, in change and desertification. Water provision- particular water-related impacts such as ing, regulation and purification are critically flooding and drought. This more explicit rec- important services provided by ecosystems, ognition of the role of biodiversity in water underpinned by biodiversity, and essential provisioning, regulation and purification, to sustainable development. These are es- and hence sustaining water resources, pro- sential for the continued functioning of ter- vides a key opportunity to make the conven- restrial, inland and coastal ecosystems and tion more directly relevant to a broader range the existence of biodiversity within these. of stakeholders including political, public, Fact Notably, it is not just inland water eco- economic, development and urban inter- Species which have been assessed for extinction risk are systems (wetlands) that play a role, but the ests. Better management of ecosystems has on average moving closer to water cycle is also sustained by terrestrial a lot to offer in terms of increased water se- extinction. Amphibians face the greatest risk and coral species ecosystems; for example forests play a key curity for both ecosystems and people. The are deteriorating most rapidly role in water supply. SBSTTA determined emphasis of the COP 10 decision therefore in status. Nearly a quarter of plant species are estimated to that these linkages provided a clear scien- centres on how biodiversity can contribute to be threatened with extinction. tific and technical basis to strengthen at- achieving sustainable development in this (Global Biodiversity Outlook 3) tention to water across all relevant interests primary natural resources challenge area.

40 year in review 2010 The Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing

fter nearly two decades of debate, The Nagoya Protocol outlines how ben- governments from around the world efits–for example, from when a plant’s A agreed to a new treaty on managing genetics are turned into a commercial prod- the planet’s wealth of genetic resources– uct, such as medicine–will be shared with from animals to plants to fungi–more fairly countries and communities who conserved and systematically. The decision came on and managed that resource, in some cases 29 October, the last day of the tenth meeting for millennia. of the Conference of Parties (COP 10) to the It also lays out rules on how substances Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in and compounds derived from genetic re- Nagoya, Japan. sources will be dealt with, as well as on the The new pact, The Nagoya Protocol on Ac- issue of pathogens, including how devel- cess to Genetic Resources and the Fair and oped countries could obtain a flu virus in Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from emergency situations to develop a vaccine Fact The five principal pressures their Utilization, is a protocol to the Con- to counter a possible epidemic. directly driving biodiversity vention. It sets up an International Regime The Nagoya Protocol, which has as its loss (habitat change, overexploitation, pollution, on Access and Benefit-Sharing of Genetic objective the fair and equitable sharing of invasive alien species and Resources, and lays down the basic ground benefits arising from the utilization of ge- climate change) are either constant or increasing in rules on how nations cooperate in obtaining netic resources, thereby contributing to intensity. (Global Biodiversity genetic resources. the conservation and sustainable use of Outlook 3) T hinkstock /

year in review 2010 41 tockphoto i S biodiversity and implementing the three ob- indigenous and local communities when jectives of the CBD, enters into force once 50 it is associated with genetic resources will countries ratify it. strengthen the ability of these communities The Protocol significantly advances the to benefit from the use of their knowledge, Convention’s third objective by providing innovations and practices. greater legal certainty and transparency for both providers and users of genetic resourc- What the Nagoya Protocol does es. Specific obligations to support compli- Specifically, the Nagoya Protocol will cre- ance with domestic legislation or regulatory ate greater legal certainty and transparency requirements of the Party providing genetic for both providers and users of genetic re- resources and contractual obligations re- sources by: flected in mutually agreed terms are a sig-  Establishing more predictable condi- nificant innovation of the Nagoya Protocol. tions for access to genetic resources These compliance provisions as well as pro-  Helping to ensure benefit-sharing when visions establishing more predictable con- genetic resources leave the contracting ditions for access to genetic resources will Party providing the genetic resources contribute to ensuring the sharing of ben- By helping to ensure benefit-sharing, efits when genetic resources leave a Party the Protocol creates incentives to conserve providing genetic resources. and sustainably use genetic resources, In addition, the Protocol’s provisions on and therefore enhances the contribution of access to traditional knowledge held by biodiversity to development and human well-being. Ryu Matsumoto, Minister of the Environment, Japan, and CBD What it covers Executive Secretary Ahmed Djoghlaf celebrate the adoption The Nagoya Protocol applies to ge- of the Nagoya Protocol netic resources that are covered by the CBD, and to the benefits arising from their use. The Protocol also covers tra- ditional knowledge (TK) associated with genetic resources covered by the CBD and the benefits arising from its use.

Core obligations The Nagoya Protocol sets out core obli- gations for its contracting Parties to take The Nagoya Protocol provides the means to trans- measures in relation to access to genetic late the Convention’s objective into reality. It will resources, benefit-sharing and compliance. provide greater legal certainty and transparency for Domestic-level access measures are to: both providers and users of genetic resources and  Create legal certainty, clarity and trans- C associated traditional knowledge. It will facilitate omstock parency access to genetic resources and associated tradi-  Provide fair and non-arbitrary rules and

tional knowledge, on the one hand, and support I mages procedures the fair and equitable sharing of benefits with the  Establish clear rules and procedures for provider country and indigenous and local commu- / T hinkstock prior informed consent and mutually nities, on the other. agreed terms  Provide for issuance of a permit or equiv- alent when access is granted

42 year in review 2010  Create conditions to promote and en- courage research contributing to biodi- versity conservation and sustainable use  Pay due regard to cases of present or imminent emergencies that threaten hu- man, animal or plant health  Consider the importance of genetic resources for food and agriculture for food security.

Benefit-sharing obligations Domestic-level benefit-sharing measures will provide for the fair and equitable shar- ing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources, as well as subsequent applications and commercialization, with the contracting Party providing genetic re- sources. Utilization includes research and development on the genetic or biochemical composition of genetic resources. Sharing is subject to mutually agreed terms. Benefits may be monetary or non-monetary such as royalties and the sharing of research results. T hinkstock / Compliance obligations Specific obligations to support compli- tockphoto ance with the domestic legislation or regu- i S latory requirements of the contracting Party providing genetic resources, and contrac-  Take measures regarding access to Fact tual obligations reflected in mutually agreed justice Species of birds and mammals used for food and medicines terms, are a significant innovation of the Na-  Take measures to monitor the utiliza- are on average facing a greater goya Protocol. Contracting Parties are to: tion of genetic resources including by extinction risk than species as a whole, through a combination  Take measures providing that genetic re- designating effective checkpoints at of over-exploitation, habitat sources utilized within their jurisdiction any stage of the value-chain: research, loss and other factors. (Global Biodiversity Outlook 3) have been accessed in accordance with development, innovation, pre-commer- prior informed consent, and that mutual- cialization or commercialization. ly agreed terms have been established, as required by another contracting Party Addressing traditional knowledge  Cooperate in cases of alleged viola- The Nagoya Protocol addresses traditional tion of another contracting Party’s re- knowledge associated with genetic resourc- quirements es with provisions on access, benefit sharing  Encourage contractual provisions on dis- and compliance. It also addresses genetic pute resolution in mutually agreed terms resources where indigenous and local com-  Ensure an opportunity is available to munities have the established right to grant seek recourse under their legal sys- access to them. Contracting Parties are to tems when disputes arise from mutually take measures to ensure these communi- agreed terms ties’ prior informed consent, and fair and

year in review 2010 43 B anana S tock / T hinkstock

equitable benefit-sharing, keeping in mind domestic regulatory ABS requirements or community laws and procedures as well as information on NFPs and CNAs customary use and exchange.  Capacity-building to support key aspects of implementation. Based on a country’s Tools and mechanisms self-assessment of national needs and to assist implementation priorities, this can include capacity to: The Nagoya Protocol’s success will require  Develop domestic ABS legislation effective implementation at the domes- to implement the Protocol tic level. A range of tools and mechanisms  Negotiate mutually agreed terms provided by the Protocol will assist Parties.  Develop in-country research ca- These include: pability and institutions  Establishing national focal points (NFPs)  Awareness-raising and competent national authorities  Technology Transfer (CNAs) to serve as contact points for in-  Targeted financial support for ca- formation, grant access or cooperate on pacity-building and development issues of compliance initiatives through the Protocol’s  An Access and Benefit-sharing Clearing- financial mechanism, the Global House to share information, such as Environment Facility.

44 year in review 2010 ABS Protocol: The Road to Nagoya and beyond

The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic meeting of the Conference of the Parties Resources and the Fair and Equitable Shar- adopted the Nagoya Protocol on 29 October ing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization 2010, in Nagoya, Japan. builds on the Convention on Biological Di- The Conference of the Parties and the six- versity and supports the further implemen- ty-fifth session of the United Nations Gen- tation of one of its three objectives: the fair eral Assembly called upon the Convention’s and equitable sharing of benefits arising out 193 Parties to sign the Nagoya Protocol at of the utilization of genetic resources. the earliest opportunity, and to deposit their Heads of State at the 2002 World Summit instruments of ratification, acceptance, ap- on Sustainable Development in Johannes- proval, or instruments of accession, as ap- burg first recognised the need for an inter- propriate, as soon as possible. national regime to promote and safeguard The Nagoya Protocol will enter into force the fair and equitable sharing of benefits 90 days after the deposit of the fiftieth in- and called for negotiations to be carried out strument of ratification, acceptance, ap- within the framework of the Convention. proval, or accession. The Convention’s Conference of the Parties The eleventh meeting of the Conference responded at its seventh meeting, in 2004, of the Parties, taking place in India from 8 by mandating its Ad Hoc Open-ended Work- to 19 October 2012, is the target for con- ing Group on Access and Benefit-sharing to vening the Nagoya Protocol’s first meeting elaborate and negotiate an international of the Parties. To achieve this, the Nagoya regime on access to genetic resources and Protocol must enter into force no later than benefit-sharing in order to effectively imple- 8 October 2012, with the fiftieth instrument ment Articles 15 (Access to Genetic Resourc- of ratification deposited no later than 10 July es) and 8(j) (Traditional Knowledge) of the 2012. The Nagoya Protocol’s early entry into Convention and its three objectives. force is strategically important for the Con- After six years of negotiations, the tenth vention’s successful implementation. THINKSTOCK . year in review 2010 45 cVay M R yan iStockphoto / Thinkstock The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Adoption of the Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol on Liability and Redress crowns eventful year

hree historic events took place dur- Year of Biodiversity celebrations around the ing the year 2010: the adoption of the world. In addition, the tenth anniversary of T Nagoya – Kuala Lumpur Supplemen- the adoption of the Protocol was marked in tary Protocol on Liability and Redress to the a message by the Executive Secretary that Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety at the fifth highlighted the achievements of the Proto- meeting of the governing body of the Proto- col during these years. col – the Conference of the Parties serving The Supplementary Protocol adopted by as the meeting of the Parties to the Protocol COP-MOP 5 provides for rules and proce- (COP-MOP) – in Nagoya, Japan from 11 to 15 dures on liability and redress for damage October 2010; the tenth anniversary of the resulting from the transboundary movement adoption of the Cartagena Protocol on Bio- of living modified organisms. It fulfills the safety; and the International Year of Biologi- mandate of Article 27 of the Biosafety Proto- cal Diversity (IYB). col which called for the elaboration of such A number of outreach activities highlight- rules and procedures. The new agreement ing the contribution of the Cartagena Pro- specifies measures to be taken in response tocol on Biosafety to the protection of bio- to damage to biological diversity. The Sup- logical diversity from the potential adverse plementary Protocol will be opened for sig- effects of living modified organisms (LMOs) nature from 7 March 2011 to 6 March 2012 were carried out as part of the International at United Nations Headquarters in New York.

T hinkstock / year in review 2010 47 A blestock A blestock / T hinkstock

“The Supplementary Protocol adopted by COP-MOP 5 evaluating risk assessment reports and to further test the first version of the provides for rules and procedures on liability and Guidance on Risk Assessment of Liv- redress for damage resulting from the transboundary ing Modified Organisms, that was wel- movement of living modified organisms.” comed during the meeting.  The adoption of the Strategic Plan of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety (2011- In the decision adopting the Supplemen- 2020), including five focal areas with tary Protocol, COP-MOP 5 called upon Par- respective expected impacts, opera- ties to the Cartagena Protocol to sign the tional objectives, outcomes and indica- Supplementary Protocol as soon as possible tors, and the associated multi-year pro- and encouraged them to implement it pend- gramme of work of the COP-MOP. ing its entry into force. Furthermore, it urged  The adoption of a comprehensive pro- Parties to cooperate in undertaking comple- gramme of work on public awareness, mentary capacity-building measures that education and participation concern- facilitate the implementation of the Supple- ing the safe transfer, handling and use mentary Protocol. of LMOs, including four programme COP-MOP 5 adopted a number of other im- elements on capacity-building, public portant decisions. Some of these include: awareness and education, public ac-  The development of further guidance cess to information and public partici- on risk assessment and risk manage- pation as well as a decision regarding ment and of an interactive learning tool an online forum and other means to fa- based on a training manual, regional cilitate exchange of information and ex- or subregional training courses to periences on the implementation of the gain experience when preparing and programme of work.

48 year in review 2010 Media coverage, especially in Japan, was generally Delegates at the closing plenary of MOP 5 Plenary session at MOP 5 positive throughout both COP and MOP

Public Awareness and Outreach awareness, access to information and par- During 2010, the Secretariat undertook ticipation regarding living modified or- several activities to increase public aware- ganisms/genetically modified organisms ness of the Biosafety Protocol during the In- (LMOs/GMOs) was held in Nagoya, Japan, ternational Year of Biodiversity. from 8-9 October, prior to COP-MOP 5. Over In May an exhibition was organized in col- 50 participants attended the workshop, in- laboration with the Redpath Museum at Mc- cluding governments, organizations, busi- Gill University in Montréal, Canada, as part of ness and academia. Montréal Museums Day. The event aimed to, The workshop enabled participants to among other things, raise awareness of the share knowledge, experiences and lessons Protocol and to increase the participation learned in promoting public awareness, of academia in biodiversity and biosafety access to information and participation. It activities. More than 4300 visitors attended also developed recommendations on the the exhibition. programme of work on public awareness, In June, the Secretariat launched a re- education and participation concerning designed website of the Cartagena Protocol LMOs and facilitated the implementation of on Biosafety (http://bch.cbd.int/protocol). the Aarhus Convention’s Almaty Amendment The new website features an improved lay- on GMOs. out, with more user-friendly features, such In October, a fair on national expe- as simple navigation menus, interactive riences with the implementation of the Pro- search tools and hyperlinks. It also includes tocol took place during COP-MOP 5. More fact sheets and resources for media. than 30 participants attended a series of A joint Aarhus Convention/Cartagena presentations held on capacity-building dur- Protocol on Biosafety workshop on public ing a lunch event.

Performers at the MOP 5 reception hosted by the Government of Japan

year in review 2010 49 Opening ceremonies of the fifth meeting Japanese schoolchildren participated Delegates at the 13 of the Conference of the Parties serving as at the opening of MOP 5 October plenary session the Meeting of the Parties (MOP 5) to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Risk Assessment Modified Organisms. Held in Siem Reap, During the year, a series of discussion Cambodia, from 12 to 16 July, the main groups were organized under the Open- outcome was that participants welcomed ended Online Expert Forum on Risk Assess- the roadmap as a useful tool and also rec- ment and Risk Management, through the ommended a set of recommendations for Biosafety Clearing-House, to assist the Ad COP-MOP 5, including further capacity-build- Hoc Technical Expert Group (AHTEG) on Risk ing on risk assessment and guidance on Assessment and Risk Management in the risk assessment, such as the publication development of further guidance on risk as- and distribution of the AHTEG’s Guidance on sessment and risk management of LMOs. Risk Assessment of Living Modified Organ- In February, the second series of four re- isms. The recommendations were consid- gional real-time online conferences on risk ered by COP-MOP 5. assessment and risk management for Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America took place. Capacity-Building The four real-time online conferences were In February the Secretariat organized the attended by a total of 64 participants. The following three capacity-building meetings: conferences aimed at gathering feedback  The sixth coordination meeting for Gov- from the participants on draft guidance doc- ernments and organizations implement- uments prepared by the AHTEG, as well as ing and/or funding biosafety capacity- on the identification of possible modalities building activities was held 1-3 February for cooperation in identifying living modified in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The meeting organisms or specific traits that may have made recommendations to COP-MOP adverse effects on the conservation and 5 regarding socio-economic consider- sustainable use of biodiversity, while also ations, the draft programme of work on taking into account risks to human health. public awareness and the draft strategic A Pacific Sub-regional Workshop on Ca- plan for the Cartagena Protocol on Bio- pacity-building and Exchange of Experiences safety (2011-2020). on Risk Assessment and Risk Management  The seventh meeting of the Liaison of Living Modified Organisms, held in Nadi, Group on Capacity-Building for Biosafe- Fiji, from 5 to 7 July, made a set of recommen- ty, held 4-5 February, in Siem Reap, Cam- Fact It is estimated that the real dations for COP-MOP 5 regarding priorities bodia. This meeting also made recom- income of poor people in India for capacity-building for the effective imple- mendations to COP-MOP 5 on the draft rises from US$ 60 to $95 when the value of ecosystem services mentation of risk assessment and risk man- strategic plan and the draft programme such as water availability, soil agement at the national/regional levels, and of work on public awareness, education fertility and wild foods is taken into account – and that it would further training on risk assessment in the Pa- and participation. cost US$ 120 per capita to cific sub-region.  The third international meeting of Aca- replace lost livelihood if these services were denied. (Global The Secretariat organized an Asian Train- demic Institutions and Organizations Biodiversity Outlook 3) ing Course on Risk Assessment of Living Involved in Biosafety Education and

50 year in review 2010 Secretariat staff flank COP/MOP Masaaki Kanda, Governor of Aichi Prefecture Michihiko Kano, Japan’s Minister for Agriculture, President Hidenori Murakami and the President of MOP 5, said biodiversity Forestry and Fisheries and MOP 5 President, conservation should be embraced and owned welcomes delegates to a reception hosted by the by people around the world Government of Japan in the Nagoya Kanko Hotel

Training was held 15-17 February 2010 Compliance in Tsukuba, Japan. The meeting enabled In 2010, the seventh meeting of the Com- participants to share information and ex- pliance Committee under the Cartagena periences about biosafety programmes Protocol on Biosafety took place in Montre- and make recommendations to further al from 8 to 10 September. The Committee improve biosafety education and train- made a set of recommendations to COP-MOP ing programmes to COP-MOP 5. 5 regarding, among other things, how to im- Fact prove the supportive role of the Committee. Natural habitats in most Biosafety Clearing-House parts of the world continue to decline in extent and integrity, Throughout the year further improvements Status of Ratification or although there has been were made to the Biosafety Clearing-House Accession to the Protocol significant progress in slowing the rate of loss for tropical (BCH) and a training workshop was held in As of 13 December 2010, with the recent forests and mangroves, in some Nagoya, Japan. ratifications of Somalia and Guinea-Bissau, regions. Freshwater wetlands, sea ice habitats, salt marshes, An online BCH study of BCH users and the number of Parties to the Protocol has in- coral reefs, seagrass beds and potential users was launched between 21 creased to 160. The list of Parties is available shellfish reefs are all showing serious declines. (Global December 2009 and 15 February 2010 to, at: http://bch.cbd.int/protocol/parties/. Biodiversity Outlook 3) among other things, assess what informa- tion users and potential users of the BCH would find useful. The pages of the new ver- sion of the BCH Management Centre were translated into the six official UN languages. All common formats were made available in the six UN languages. LMO Quick-links were launched in Sep- tember on the BCH. The LMO Quick-links are small image files that can be easily copied and pasted, and identify an LMO through its unique identifier, trade name and a link S to the BCH where information on the LMO is ydney

available. J ames In October, a workshop for National Fo- / D igital/ cal Points for the Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH-NFPs) was held immediately before Vision COP-MOP 5 on 8-9 October. More than 25

participants were trained in the general / T hinkstock navigation of the BCH and management of national records.

year in review 2010 51 A nup S hah / P hotodisc/ / T hinkstock

52 year in review 2010 All good things need to continue

he official closing of the International and a commemorative symposium and oth- Year of Biodiversity was held in Kanaza- er events were held to promote a future rich Twa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, on in biodiversity. 18 and 19 December 2010. Opening remarks All relevant UN agencies contributed to the were made by Japan’s Environment Minis- celebration of the year. The United Nations ter Ryu Matsumoto, followed by welcom- Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organi- ing remarks from Ishikawa Governor Masa- zation organized a high-level event as well nori Tanimoto. Statements were also made as a scientific conference and assisted in by the UN Secretary-General (presented preparing an international exhibit financed by Ahmed Djoghlaf, CBD Executive Secre- by the Global Environment Facility (GEF). In tary); representatives from the United Na- February, the United Nations Development tions Environment Programme and from the Programme (UNDP) launched the Interna- IUCN-Regional Office in Asia; and by MISIA, tional Year in North America in New York at COP 10 Honorary Ambassador. The results the American Museum of Natural History. of the Nagoya biodiversity summit were pre- More than 74 field offices of UNDP contrib- sented, as was a report on the International uted to the celebration of the International Year of Biodiversity. Year of Biodiversity. A ceremony bridging the Internatio- In his message to the official closing, UN nal Year of Biodiversity to the Interna- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon noted, “Un- tional Year of Forests was also organized, der the slogan ‘One UN for Biodiversity’, the

Montreal Mayor Gerald Tremblay speaks Four artists from Quebec, Canada, created a fresco Closing ceremony of IYB in Kanazawa, at the Canadian closing of the IYB celebrating the IYB and presented it to the Secretariat Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan

year in review 2010 53 UN Decade on Biodiversity

Following a recommendation from COP mainstreaming biodiversity into broader 10, the United Nations General Assem- development planning and economic ac- bly declared 2011 – 2020 as the United Na- tivities. Throughout the Decade, Parties tions Decade of Biodiversity in its Resolu- will be encouraged to develop, implement tion 65/161. and communicate the results of, time- The Decade will be a vehicle to sup- bound national strategies for implementa-

port and promote implementation of the tion of the Strategic Plan, including inter- N ickolay objectives of the Strategic Plan for Bio- im milestones, and reporting on progress

diversity 2011-2020 and will seek to pro- achieved. The UN Decade on Biodiversity K horoshko mote the involvement of a variety of na- builds from the achievements of the cel- tional and intergovernmental actors ebration of the 2010 International Year and other stakeholders in the goal of of Biodiversity. v/ T hinkstock

“Under the slogan ‘One UN for Biodiversity’, the United Nations system worked to show how biodiversity is central to poverty alleviation, development and human security. Decision makers seem to have heard the message.” —United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

United Nations system worked to show how from AIRBUS; Director of the Environment, biodiversity is central to poverty alleviation, General Council of Moselle; Mayor of the City development and human security. Decision of Montreal and the CBD Executive Secretary. makers seem to have heard the message.” A special video on the closure of the Interna- Earlier in Montreal, home of the Secretari- tional Year of Biodiversity was shown, high- at, a Canadian reception to mark the closing lighting the efforts made by the global com- of the International Year of Biodiversity was munity to celebrate this important Year. held on 6 December. The event gathered the participation of representatives of the Diplo- matic Corps in Ottawa and Montreal, relevant partners, as well as senior staff from the City of Montreal. Statements were also made by: the Consul General of Japan in Montreal (rep- resentative of the tenth meeting of the Con- ference of the Parties); the Director General of the Quebec Region at Environment Can- ada; Director of International Organization, Ministry of International Relations, Province of Quebec; Senior Vice President for The Americas region, Japan Airlines; Senior staff

54 year in review 2010

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